The Love Machine (Elvis Presley song)

"The Love Machine"
Single by Elvis Presley
from the EP Easy Come, Easy Go
A-side"You Gotta Stop"
"The Love Machine"
Released1967 (1967)
RecordedSeptember 29, 1966
StudioParamount Studio Recording Stage, Hollywood
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Chuck Taylor, Fred Burch, Gerald Nelson
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Indescribably Blue" / "Fools Fall in Love"
(1967) 		"You Gotta Stop" / "The Love Machine"
(1967) 		"Long Legged Girl (with the Short Dress On)" / "That's Someone You Never Forget"
(1967)

"The Love Machine" is a song written by Chuck Taylor, Fred Burch and Gerald Nelson and originally recorded by Elvis Presley for the 1967 Paramount picture Easy Come, Easy Go.[1][2][3] It was also featured on the soundtrack EP for the movie.[2][1]

In the UK, "The Love Machine" was released as a single, with "You Gotta Stop" from the same movie on the opposite side.[4] Listed as a double A-side, the single peaked at number 38 for two weeks in that country.[5]

Composition

The song was written by Chuck Taylor, Fred Burch and Gerald Nelson.[1]

Recording

Elvis Presley recorded the song for the film Easy Come, Easy Go on September 29, 1966, at Paramount Studio Recording Stage in Hollywood. The recording sessions featured Scotty Moore and Tiny Timbrell on guitar, Charlie McCoy on harmonica, organ and guitar, Bob Moore on bass, D.J. Fontana, Buddy Harman, Hal Blaine, Curry Tjader and Larry Bunker on drums, Emil Radocchia on percussion, Michel Rubini on harpsichord, Mike Henderson and Anthony Terran on trumpet, Butch Parker on trombone, Jerry Scheff, Meredith Flory and Willam Hood on saxophone. Additional vocals were provided by The Jordanaires.[2]

Critical response

While discussing the Easy Come, Easy Go musical numbers in his books, Robert Matthew-Walker noted that Elvis did "his considerable best" with this song and "I'll Take Love", but still could not "disguise his uncommitted performance".[6][7]

Track listing

7" single (RCA 1593, UK, 1967)[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Gotta Stop"Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence Kaye 
2."The Love Machine"Chuck Taylor, Fred Burch, Gerald Nelson 

Charts

Chart (1967) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[5] 38

References

  1. ^ a b c "Cover versions of You Gotta Stop by Elvis Presley". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  2. ^ a b c "Easy Come, Easy Go". Elvis Presley official website "Elvis the Music". Retrieved 2020-02-15.
  3. ^ James L. Neibaur (4 April 2014). The Elvis Movies. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 206–. ISBN 978-1-4422-3074-3.
  4. ^ a b "Elvis Presley - You Gotta Stop / The Love Machine". Discogs. 1967. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  5. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  6. ^ Robert Matthew-Walker (1983). Elvis Presley: A Study in Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-0086-8. 'I'll Take Love' wallows in banality, and although Presley does his considerable best with this and 'The Love Machine', he cannot disguise his uncommitted performance.
  7. ^ Robert Matthew-Walker (1995). Heartbreak Hotel: The Life and Music of Elvis Presley. Castle Communications. ISBN 978-1-86074-055-8.