American Without Tears
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American Without Tears
What is this song about? It seems to be about people who fell in love during WWii. But why does the narrator sing about New Orleans?
- double dutchess
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In the liner notes to the recent edition of "King of America" Elvis wrote about meeting two English ladies in New Orleans who had been WWII brides, and they inspired the song.
When he played it at Wolf Trap in July 2005, I thought my head was going to explode from pure joy.
Did he ever explain the twilight version? I think I love that one even more.
When he played it at Wolf Trap in July 2005, I thought my head was going to explode from pure joy.
Did he ever explain the twilight version? I think I love that one even more.
I wasn't born the sharpest thorn
- LessThanZero
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- thepopeofpop
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It's meant to be the "sequel" to the original song - what happens to one of the women (and the GI she married) in the first song later in her life - just in EC's imagination of course. The giveaway is the last few lines:double dutchess wrote:
Did he ever explain the twilight version? I think I love that one even more.
"It was the story of a young English poppet
Who took up with a soldier boy and thought she would profit
Just like me she found out what true love is about
But anyway she's in New Orleans - it would never work out"
One of my fave EC moments ever - although that very last line is mysterious. Does he mean he fell in love with this woman?
Elvis writes -
http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... php?t=3590
"American Without Tears": Most of this is a true story, though I confess I moved the terrible lounge pianist known as "a cocktail murderess" from a bar in Las Vegas to the same town as the lovely GI brides.
http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... php?t=3473
..............we went on to cut "American Without Tears".
This song was based on a chance meeting with a couple of former G.I. brides during a tour of Florida. They had volunteered their stories while I was drinking at an adjacent table. Of course the names and locations were changed and I added in a little of my own family history but it stayed pretty true to their tale of exile and escape.
http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... php?t=3590
"American Without Tears": Most of this is a true story, though I confess I moved the terrible lounge pianist known as "a cocktail murderess" from a bar in Las Vegas to the same town as the lovely GI brides.
http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... php?t=3473
..............we went on to cut "American Without Tears".
This song was based on a chance meeting with a couple of former G.I. brides during a tour of Florida. They had volunteered their stories while I was drinking at an adjacent table. Of course the names and locations were changed and I added in a little of my own family history but it stayed pretty true to their tale of exile and escape.
- ReadyToHearTheWorst
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- Jackson Monk
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- double dutchess
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Whoops, Florida, my bad.This song was based on a chance meeting with a couple of former G.I. brides during a tour of Florida.
I always assumed he was singing from the point of view of an ex-husband of one of the ladies. But I never understood why the main character of the song was in Cuba.Does he mean he fell in love with this woman?
Incidentally, while I was travelling last summer I had a layover at the airport in Atlanta, so I bought a copy of the Atlanta Constitution. There was an article about GI Brides, which I probably would not have appreciated had I not been such a fan of these songs.
I wasn't born the sharpest thorn
- spooky girlfriend
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You guys know how I feel about KOA and this has always been one of my all time favorite EC songs. I absolutely adore the lyrics, the music, just everything. I never get tired of hearing it. I only know what I have read from the KOA liner notes and many of those things have already been mentioned here.
- thepopeofpop
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Ah, the famous "Costello Perspective Shift Trick". I should have seen that coming. (I wasn't suggesting that he fell in love in any serious way, BTW, just a passing fancy).double dutchess wrote:I always assumed he was singing from the point of view of an ex-husband of one of the ladies. But I never understood why the main character of the song was in Cuba.Does he mean he fell in love with this woman?
Since the original song is about exiles of one sort or another, I guess Cuba is just another example of that.
- verbal gymnastics
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And hence the chat up line of "I'm the Sheriff of Nottingham and this is Little John".ReadyToHearTheWorst wrote:A bit of extra detail, the reference to a bicycle factory (and Robin Hood, of course) locate at least one of the girls in Nottingham, England (home of Raleigh cycles).
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?