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Love Song of the Year

Rating:
4.2 / 5

Words & Music: Chris Christian

I used to laugh when I should cry
I used to let these feelings pass me by
But now that I believe them
I got no-one to leave them to me
You see I traded love for what I thought must be free

So I confess my loneliness
And I guess I've lost the best of the year
That I have lost it through my fingers like a golden breath of air
If I cared I wouldn't be singing this love song of the year

I know the time cannot erase the days
Love is past and I've gone away
From now on I'll make it very clear
Cos' I don't want to write
Another love song of the year

It's a lonely song and not too clear
But to me it's very dear
I guess this song can only be
My feelings went out in the sea of love
To me this has got to be the love song of the year

I know the time cannot erase the days
Love is past and I've gone away
From now on I'll make it very clear
Cos' I don't want to write
Another love song of the year

I used to laugh I used to cry
I used to laugh, these feelings passed me by
From now on I'll make it very clear cos' I don't want to write
Another love song of the year

Recordingdate: 1973/12/12, first released on: Promised Land (album)

Musicians

Musicians who contributed to the first recording of Love Song of the Year:

(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(piano)
(piano)
(organ)
(accordion)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)

Others*

(guitar)
(cello)
(cello)
(cello)
(cello)
(viola)
(viola)
(viola)
(viola)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)

*Orchestra, overdubs

Availability

Find available albums with Love Song of the Year.

old shep wrote on May 02, 2008
This is a lovely song and Elvis pours emotion into every line. Little known to non fans and this is a great pity.
JimmyCool wrote on September 23, 2008
I like it, I like it a lot! Little known ballad, but very pretty. It should have been included on the '70s box! I liked it since the first time I heard it on the "Promided Land/Good Times" CD (2000)
JLpResLey wrote on September 23, 2008
Really nice song even though it was a long time since I listened to it. It´s really underrated like almost every other song from that session.
Steve V wrote on September 23, 2008
Its an OK song, certainly not breaking any musical ground for Elvis. I thought he deserved better material. When compared to the ballads of the Memphis or Nashville sessions, it really pales. The string section always ruined it for me. Too much 'sweetening'.
NONE000000 wrote on September 23, 2008
I'm not sure why I originally was kind of dismissive of this song. I heard it again recently, on head phones and in an undubbed version and it totally blew me away how beautiful it was! Elvis songs amazing on this, his vocal sounds so sincere and heartfelt. The iPod/headphones have really helped me rediscover how beautiful Elvis' voice is--and this song is a perfect example!
Natha wrote on September 23, 2008
One of those 'easy listening songs' in which it is soothing to listen to Elvis' beautiful voice. It is amazing how he manages to transmit the intended feeling so sublimely.
sitdown68 wrote on October 15, 2008
It's the kind of a bedtime song in the wee wee hours...after a fine evening with good friends as guests...a late night lullaby. I always liked it. In a way its lightness is comparable to such fine ballads as Make The World Go Away as sung live during August '70 in Vegas. He should have done it live, maybe he would have, had he lived.
Steve Morse wrote on October 15, 2008
An absolutely beautiful recording. The piano is outstanding, playing a sort of counter melody, and the vocal backing is perfectly balanced. The warmth in Elvis's voice on this, and on Mr. Songman which precedes it on the album, make these two songs real favourites with me. Elvis rarely sang better as a mature performer.
Marty_TCE wrote on June 22, 2010
Tenderly delivered by Elvis - a real gem, as is the Promised Land album. Seriously underated by most which is a shame.
Pedro Nuno wrote on June 22, 2010
Not my cup of tea. No way! Love song of the year? Maybe of the day...
shoesuedeblues wrote on June 22, 2010
Love this song and the album too. I never get tired of listening to this track.
Deano1 wrote on June 22, 2010
An oddly phrased and worded ballad that Elvis pulls together nicely, but it is still not one of his best ballads of the 70's. Strictly album filler and along with "Mr. Songman" and "There's A Honky Tonk Angel", the weakest tracks on a really good LP "Promised Land". All three of the weak songs (along with "Help Me") appear on side A after the outstanding title track, but the five tracks on side B elevate the LP nicely.
JerryNodak wrote on October 26, 2010
A lovely song. Well sung. A fave of mine. There's A Honky Tonk Angel a weak track? Puleeeeeze. BTW: Do you know what a Honky Tonk Angel is?
dgirl wrote on October 26, 2010
I think this is the weakest song on the album, although it is well sung. Just weak material. A ballad with no soul. Honky Tonk Angel is much better.
Guitar Man 1967 wrote on October 26, 2010
Very good song from an excellent LP. Bought the 8-track when it was released and played it so much I had to go buy another one because the first one wore out.
SatninTCB wrote on October 26, 2010
I had never even heard of this song until i looked it up on I-Tunes. Now that i've heard it i must say it's NOT Elvis at his best or even most charming. Our boy recorded far better material than this. Just a mediocre song at best...
Polk Salad Robert wrote on February 08, 2012
To me its the same type of underrated songs like "Solitaire"...its one of my personal TOP 10 Elvis Songs ... when listening to it I am in another world right between being awake and dreamin`... just listen to the outtakes of the "Promised Land" FTD Album which I am sure will climb up to the TOP 5 List very soon !!!
Rob Wanders wrote on August 11, 2012
great song; i love to listen to it. somehow i think elvis messed up the lyrics in the mastertape at the end of the song abit. i think he wanted to sing the first verse again but instead of "I used to laugh when I should cry, I use to let these feelings pass me by" he sings "I used to laugh I used to cry, I used to let these feelings pass me by".
Biffx wrote on August 11, 2012
Love this song even more so after hearing the new versions on Promised Land. I put the disk in my player turn it up and within seconds i am lost in my own world and thats what its all about.
LonElvis wrote on August 11, 2012
A great song. I personally love this part of the song - It's a lonely song and not too clear But to me it's very dear I guess this song can only be My feelings went out in the sea of love To me this has got to be the love song of the year You sense Elvis is "feeling" the lyrics as he is singing them. I always enjoy listening to this song.
Cruiser621 wrote on August 11, 2012
This song is, without a doubt, the biggest reason, I purchased the FTD release of "Promised Land" by Elvis. This is absolutely one of his best ballad renditions bar none and the outtakes on the FTD release are well worth the price of admission as they say. 5-STARS! Absolutely.
Gorse wrote on December 14, 2012
A lovely song from a fine album. Well sung and arranged with great harmonies from the back up singers, which they develop into a harmonised finish in the last 30 seconds which I don't think that I have heard in any other Elvis songs.
sugartummy wrote on April 03, 2013
I love the piano & strings, but not the back-up vocals. The song was shortened by :30 for release. A strong song, well sung.
cookingfat wrote on May 04, 2013
Love it , one of my all time favourites.Beautiful song.
DerekH wrote on May 04, 2013
A very good recording from a good album. The late 60's and early 70's had Elvis hitting the Uk charts with really good recordings. I was back in the record shops looking for his new releases.
ElvisSacramento wrote on May 04, 2013
I've always liked this song immensely and Elvis' rendition of it was brilliant. In my opinion, this is the weakest song from the "Promised Land" album. But, I like the entire "Promised Land" album immensely.
trudygillenwater wrote on March 07, 2015
A fantastic ballad sung fantastically by our guy. A true classic!
Jim Davidson wrote on August 07, 2016
Most of the Stax material is great. Love Song of the Year stands above many of the other Stax cuts such as, She Wears My Ring and Raised on Rock. In my view, the Camden LPs cheapened Elvis' 70s catalogue. The Promised Land LP could have done much better if it was not sitting betwixt budget LPs in record store bins.
atomic powered poste wrote on September 16, 2018
Not a great song imo, too corny, too much false sentiment, but that's just my personal opinion. I don't find it terrible, i listen to it in the context of the lp, but otherwise? There is so many better music out there then this, imo, whiny tune. 2 stars.
Milky White Way wrote on June 04, 2021
Such varied opinions to this song. IMO it’s one of the strongest tracks on Promised Land. It’s easily in my top 10 all time favs. I just love the ending vocals and so glad Elvis chose to sing the same notes as the backing vocals. He could have just let them do it. I got the FTD purely to hear outtakes of this beautiful song. Just wish he sang it live. 5 stars.
DerekH wrote on January 06, 2023
Great song, great recording, great album.
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