WHAT NOW MY LOVE

[karlos]

this song is a very dramatic song . i have heard many versions done by Elvis . I have heard the spoken version of this song that he did at Vegas in 1973 and many other versions, including the Aloha versions .-


It was done by Shirley Bassey a long time ago and i still regard that Elvis did the best version .- You can feel the pain and the delivery of this song, when he did perform it .

BTW view your own opinions on this song -

i would like to hea it from you fellow fans .-

[ColinB]

It was done by Shirley Bassey a long time ago and i still regard that Elvis did the best version.

He should have left it with Shirley.......

[Rob]

A very powerful song and one of my personal favorites.

[karlos]

It was done by Shirley Bassey a long time ago and i still regard that Elvis did the best version.

He should have left it with Shirley.......

so ColinB what do you think of Elvis 's version .- surely its dramatic and well sung then.



A VERY HAPPY 2007 TO U COLIN B

[ColinB]

It was done by Shirley Bassey a long time ago and i still regard that Elvis did the best version.

He should have left it with Shirley.......

so ColinB what do you think of Elvis 's version .- surely its dramatic and well sung then.



A VERY HAPPY 2007 TO U COLIN B

As so often happens, Elvis takes a so-so song & squeezes the best out of it.

But it doesn't suit him or his style......

[karlos]

COLIN B - THATS YOUR OWN OPINION - I WILL NOT ARGU WITH U FRIEND .- ( SO SORRY FOR CAPS )

[tcb4]

What now my love is a french song
My ancestors whistled it before Frank S brought it to the US.

Weird that that you asked what do we think of the song because the french writer of the song died yesterday at 88. P Delanoe also wrote let it be me ( je t appartiens ).

May i translate for you the first words of the french song ?

what now ( my love ) what am i gonna do ?
of this time now that you ve gone

of those people that i don t care
now that you ve gone

all those nights, why and for whom ?
and this morning that comes back for nothing

etc ...

[Joe Car]

All I know is that Elvis' performances of this song were brilliant!

[karlos]

thanx for that joe carr - i agree fully with u

[John B]

I've only heard Elvis's version (love it) and Sinatra's (can't stand it). There was a thread on another music forum recently about songs who's music does not match the lyrics. I cited What Now My Love as sung by Sinatra. The arrangement Elvis sings does justice to the song's lyrics which are very sad and dramatic. As mentioned earlier, Sinatra takes this song and gives it a finger popping, casual swing, bouncy, almost throw away feel, not matching the lyrics at all. Love the song, just give me Elvis's version any day however.

[Denman]

I've only heard Elvis's version (love it) and Sinatra's (can't stand it). There was a thread on another music forum recently about songs who's music does not match the lyrics. I cited What Now My Love as sung by Sinatra. The arrangement Elvis sings does justice to the song's lyrics which are very sad and dramatic. As mentioned earlier, Sinatra takes this song and gives it a finger popping, casual swing, bouncy, almost throw away feel, not matching the lyrics at all. Love the song, just give me Elvis's version any day however.

I agree with you about Sinatra's version. I didn't like it either. Rob I agree with your views about the song. And TCB4, I thought What Now My Love was Et Maintenant, written by Gilbert Becaud. I could be wrong, though. What Now My Love is one of the highlights of the Aloha show, and the ending gives me goosebumps. One of my personal favorites and I would have loved to see him perform the song live.

[tcb4]

yes What Now My Love is Et Maintenant,
music by Gilbert Becaud
french words by p delanoe who are close to English lyrics by Carl Sigman

[bethann]

This is not my favorite ballad by Elvis, but as is usually the case, Elvis takes this song and truly makes it his own and it will probably always be associated with him and Aloha.

[TJ]

The Aloha ending is brilliant. The verses are so so. He sang it much better in other shows.

[Cryogenic]

I've only heard Elvis's version (love it) and Sinatra's (can't stand it). There was a thread on another music forum recently about songs who's music does not match the lyrics. I cited What Now My Love as sung by Sinatra. The arrangement Elvis sings does justice to the song's lyrics which are very sad and dramatic. As mentioned earlier, Sinatra takes this song and gives it a finger popping, casual swing, bouncy, almost throw away feel, not matching the lyrics at all. Love the song, just give me Elvis's version any day however.

You can make an argument that Sinatra is spoofing the lyrics somewhat, using the song as a dramatic vehicle in which the singer plays the role of jilted lover and mocks the woman that spurned him with scornful melodrama. It's like, "Yeah, go away! See if I care!" Seen this way, Sinatra's interpretation is very, very good. That said, I know what you mean. I've got a clip of him performing this for the camera and it's hard to accept a lack of emotional investment after the original and EP's stunning live performances. At one point, Sinatra is so "not into it", in my opinion, that he even takes his hand and wipes his face. It's a tiny gesture, but it feels really careless, like Sinatra has contempt for the song and doesn't feel he should stay in character.

The original by Gilbert Bécaud is a tremendous rendition (or set of renditions). It's actually a little avant-garde. In an early black and white performance I've seen, he doesn't even complete the song, breaking off after it looks like he might explode with rage. Trust a Frenchman to do something like that! It's brilliant. In a couple of later performances I've seen, he does manage to complete the song, but the same kind of angst is there. Bécaud doesn't have a singing voice, but his face conveys everything you could imagine. Go on YouTube and other video sites and try to find his versions under the original title: "Et maintenant". Well worth a watch.

"What Now My Love" is one of the highlights of the Aloha concert, in my opinion. Although Elvis is very resigned on the verses, that approach only seems to add to the surprise of the climax. The song is well-crafted all the way through, even as you're anticipating that climax after knowing it lies ahead. The arrangement is very lovely and seems to owe a debt of gratitude to Roy Orbison and his bolero masterpieces like "Running Scared" and "It's Over" (not the Aloha song). Although EP doesn't have Roy's weepy voice, he makes up for it with a hundred and one other things, including a harsher way of hitting notes, especially high notes, that gives WNML a heart-stopping end. I also like the way his voice thins out on the title line when the climax begins. Listen carefully. The last time he says "What now my love", the last two words, yes, his love, sound reedy and weak, but in a very deliberate way. Like Sinatra's hand wipe, this little embellishment has as much effect, in the opposite direction. And then the high notes. It's a majestic finish, through and through.

[Rob]

All I know is that Elvis' performances of this song were brilliant!

Most of them were. That closing night version in September 1973 is lacking a little something though.

I never tire of the Aloha version.

[Lohmax]

the singer plays the role of jilted lover and mocks the woman that spurned him with scornful melodrama. It's like, "Yeah, go away! See if I care!"

Interesting interpretation, I've never seen it this way!

To me, it sounds like pure desperation - "what now, my love, now that you're gone - I'd be a fool to go on and on". Especially the three spoken versions that I know (73 and 76) are portaying a man at the verge of suicide (..."to go on and on...noone would care if I live or if I die") - he has lost everything , his hope his dreams, his future. No wonder he chose to do this song at this stage of his life.

It's one of my favourite songs - next to My Boy - at least concerning his ability to create dramatic songs. The studio version of My Boy is a bit weak, but that's off-topic. He really put his heart into it on stage many times and there are only few "clowny" versions.

[Cryogenic]

the singer plays the role of jilted lover and mocks the woman that spurned him with scornful melodrama. It's like, "Yeah, go away! See if I care!"

Interesting interpretation, I've never seen it this way!

To me, it sounds like pure desperation - "what now, my love, now that you're gone - I'd be a fool to go on and on". Especially the three spoken versions that I know (73 and 76) are portaying a man at the verge of suicide (..."to go on and on...noone would care if I live or if I die") - he has lost everything , his hope his dreams, his future. No wonder he chose to do this song at this stage of his life.

It's one of my favourite songs - next to My Boy - at least concerning his ability to create dramatic songs. The studio version of My Boy is a bit weak, but that's off-topic. He really put his heart into it on stage many times and there are only few "clowny" versions.

Good thoughts, Lohmax. I was talking about Sinatra's interpretation above, though. I agree with your take on Elvis' take.

[thxphotog]

Well, when speaking of Aloha, "What Now My Love", "You Gave Me a Mountain", & "Trilogy", are the tracks I can watch/listen to over, and over, over. Daily even and not tire of them.

[Elvis_Priestly]

The Aloha version is one of those moments I would like to go back in time to the moment I first saw/heard it. I remember hearing it begin and thinking it was a "down-time" song after "I can't stop loving you" and "Hound Dog" and then it progresses to that jaw-dropping crescendo. I don't think many could have expected how it would end based on how it began. A real favourite from the show.

[Lohmax]

Good thoughts, Lohmax. I was talking about Sinatra's interpretation above, though. I agree with your take on Elvis' take.

Thanks for the kind words Cryogenic!

I must admit that I am not familiar with Sinatra's version yet, but I will give it a try.

[Inigo Montoya]

The Aloha version is one of those moments I would like to go back in time to the moment I first saw/heard it. I remember hearing it begin and thinking it was a "down-time" song after "I can't stop loving you" and "Hound Dog" and then it progresses to that jaw-dropping crescendo. I don't think many could have expected how it would end based on how it began. A real favourite from the show.

"It's Over" is the same way, though the climax is more sudden, with zero building discernible, and brief. Both excellent choices for Elvis, I think.

Even a good singer trying "What Now, My Love" out in the shower is liable to ensure, with the final note, that they can never have children. It's a demanding song, and Elvis made it seem so easy (technically, I mean, because he did give you the feeling that he was actually experiencing the emotions cataloged in the song, as he sang).

[scottngeorgia]

once i could see
once i could feel
now i am numb
ive become unreal
I could see how Elvis at that point in his life could relate.
Scott N Georgia

[Xaykev]

The Aloha ending is brilliant. The verses are so so. He sang it much better in other shows.

Please tell me which other versions are much better...

[Denman]

Have to disagree with TJ, I love the way he sings the verses on the Aloha version, it's like he's "fighting the song" (don't know how to say it), just before the powerhouse ending.