Elvis Presley – Burning Love (Live in Honolulu, 1973)

About The Song

Released in 1972, “Burning Love” became Elvis Presley’s final hit record, the last of his 38 top ten singles on Billboard’s pop music chart. As Ernst Jorgensen noted, at the time Elvis was not enthusiastic about recording the song, or any rock ’n’ roll song, for that matter. His marriage had fallen apart, and during that period, he preferred investing his musical energy in “love-lost” ballads, such as “Separate Ways,” which he recorded just the day before “Burning Love.”

When Elvis entered RCA’s Studio C in Hollywood on March 27, 1972, he was in one of the worst chart slumps of his career. He had not had a top ten single since “The Wonder of You” reached #9 in the summer of 1970. None of his previous six singles had even made the top 30 on the Hot 100. Elvis was in desperate need of a hit single to revive his stagnant recording career. Felton Jarvis, Elvis’ personal producer, brought “Burning Love” to the recording session. The song, written by Dennis Linde, had gone nowhere when initially released by r&b singer Arthur Alexander. In his Presley biography, Peter Guralnick described how Jarvis struggled to get Elvis to even try the song.

“On the second night Felton finally got his way, but he was under no illusion that Elvis was doing it for any other reason than to indulge his producer. With the encouragement of Joe Esposito and Jerry Schilling, and with Charlie (Hodge) pounding away on acoustic guitar, they got a good, energetic version of ‘Burning Love,’ the song Felton had brought to the session, but it was tossed off in six takes, in almost throwaway style, and everyone could see that Elvis’ heart wasn’t really in it.”

After finishing the recording session, Elvis and the band spent a couple of days in Studio C rehearsing for April’s tour shows, some of which would be filmed for MGM’s Elvis on Tour documentary. “Burning Love” was among the songs rehearsed and used on stage at tour stops, which included Hampton Roads, Richmond, Greensboro, and San Antonio. The version of Elvis singing “Burning Love” in the documentary showed him using a lyric sheet, perhaps indicative of his lack of commitment to the song.

RCA released “Burning Love” as a single backed with a country tune, “It’s a Matter of Time,” on August 1, 1972. The rock side entered Billboard’s Hot 100 at #90 on August 19, and marched slowly up the chart as radio DJs took increasing notice of Elvis’ new rock ’n’ roll song. It broke into the top ten at #9 on September 30, eventually peaking at #2 on October 28. “Burning Love” stayed on the Hot 100 through the end of November, finishing with a run of 15 weeks on the chart, six of those weeks in the top 10. It was Elvis’ biggest hit since “Suspicious Minds” in 1969.

Video

Lyric

🎵 Let’s sing along with the lyrics! 🎤

 Lord Almighty
I feel my temperature rising
Higher higher
It’s burning through to my soul

Girl, girl, girl
You gonna set me on fire
My brain is flaming
I don’t know which way to go

Your kisses lift me higher
Like the sweet song of a choir
You light my morning sky
With burning love

Ooh, ooh, ooh
I feel my temperature rising
Help me, I’m flaming
I must be a hundred and nine
Burning, burning, burning
And nothing can cool me
I just might turn to smoke
But I feel fine

Cause your kisses lift me higher
Like a sweet song of a choir
And you light my morning sky
With burning love

It’s coming closer
The flames are now lickin’ my body
Please won’t you help me
I feel like I’m slipping away
It’s hard to breath
And my chest is a-heaving

Lord Almighty
I’m burning a hole where I lay

Cause your kisses lift me higher
Like the sweet song of a choir
You light my morning sky
With burning love

With burning love
Ah, ah, burning love
I’m just a hunk
A hunk of burning love
Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love
Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love
Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love
Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love
Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love