It Happened at the World's Fair (album)

It Happened at the World's Fair
Soundtrack album / Studio album by Elvis Presley
Released April 10, 1963
Genre Rock and roll, pop
Language English
Label RCA Victor
Producer Leith Stevens
Elvis Presley chronology

Girls! Girls! Girls!
(1962)		 It Happened at the World's Fair
(1963)		 Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3
(1963)
Singles from It Happened at the World's Fair
  1. "One Broken Heart for Sale" / "They Remind Me Too Much of You"
    Released: January 1963

It Happened at the World's Fair is the seventeenth album by Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2697, in April 1963. Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood on August 30 and September 22, 1962. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart.[1]

Content

Initially booked for August 28 and 29, sessions were delayed as Presley had taken ill, and only two numbers were completed satisfactorily on the first night of August 30.[2] Ten songs were tackled for the soundtrack, the standouts being two written by one of Presley's favorite songwriters, Don Robertson (who took an active part in the sessions by playing keyboards), and one by Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott, the team that had written the #2 hit single "Return to Sender" the previous year.[3] All three of these songs, "I'm Falling In Love Tonight", "They Remind Me Too Much of You", and "One Broken Heart for Sale", would be included on the 1995 compilation CD Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II.[4]

"One Broken Heart for Sale" and "They Remind Me Too Much of You" would be released ahead of time on January 29 as a single to promote both the album and the film.[5] "Broken Heart" just missed the top ten, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the b-side charting independently at number 53.[6] Truncated with a verse excised to a very short length of 1:35, "One Broken Heart For Sale" was the first RCA single of Presley's career that did not make the top five, excluding "Shake Rattle and Roll" which did not chart at all after being released on August 31, 1956, simultaneously with Presley's debut album divided up into six singles.[7]

Originally a deluxe - priced gatefold sleeve album was planned, but with 20 minutes of music and the relative failure of "One Broken Heart For Sale" the idea was abandoned.[8] In 2003 It Happened at the World's Fair was reissued on the Follow That Dream edition that contained the original album along with numerous alternate takes.[9]


Personnel

Track listing

Original release

Side one
No. TitleWriter(s)Recording date Length
1. "Beyond the Bend"  Fred Wise, Ben Weisman, Dolores FullerSeptember 22, 1962 1:50
2. "Relax"  Sid Tepper and Roy C. BennettAugust 30, 1962 2:19
3. "Take Me to the Fair"  Sid Tepper and Roy C. BennettSeptember 22, 1962 1:34
4. "They Remind Me Too Much of You"  Don RobertsonSeptember 22, 1962 2:30
5. "One Broken Heart for Sale"  Otis Blackwell and Winfield ScottSeptember 22, 1962 1:45
Side two
No. TitleWriter(s)Recording date Length
1. "I'm Falling In Love Tonight"  Don RobertsonSeptember 22, 1962 1:39
2. "Cotton Candy Land"  Ruth Bachelor and Bob RobertsSeptember 22, 1962 1:33
3. "World of Our Own"  Bill Giant, Bernie Baum, Florence KayeSeptember 22, 1962 2:14
4. "How Would You Like to Be"  Ben Raleigh, Mark BarkanSeptember 22, 1962 3:26
5. "Happy Ending"  Ben Weisman and Sid WayneAugust 30, 1962 2:08

2003 Follow That Dream reissue

No. Title Length
1. "Beyond the Bend"   1:50
2. "Relax"   2:21
3. "Take Me to the Fair"   1:34
4. "They Remind Me Too Much of You"   2:31
5. "One Broken Heart for Sale"   1:38
6. "I'm Falling in Love Tonight"   1:40
7. "Cotton Candy Land"   1:36
8. "A World of Our Own"   2:14
9. "How Would You Like To Be"   3:27
10. "Happy Ending"   2:09
11. "One Broken Heart For Sale" (takes 2,3,1) 4:12
12. "They Remind Me Too Much of You" (take 1) 2:34
No. Title Length
13. "I'm Falling In Love Tonight" (take 1,4) 3:16
14. "Beyond The Bend" (take 1,2) 3:32
15. "Cotton Candy Land" (take 1,2,4) 2:35
16. "How Would You Like To Be" (take 2) 3:33
17. "They Remind Me Too Much of You" (take 4) 2:30
18. "Beyond the Bend" (take 3) 1:58
19. "Take Me to the Fair" (takes 4,5,6,7) 3:54
20. "I'm Falling in Love Tonight" (take 6) 1:56
21. "They Remind Me Too Much Of You" (take 6,7) 2:44
22. "Relax" (takes 5,6,7) 2:50
23. "Happy Ending" (takes 4,5,6) 3:35
24. "Take Me to the Fair" (August master-from acetate) 1:32

References

  1. ↑ "Pop Albums". Elvis Presley: Official Site of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  2. ↑ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 175
  3. ↑ Jorgensen, op. cit., pp. 169-170.
  4. ↑ Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II at AllMusic
  5. ↑ "One Broken Heart for Sale". Elvis - The Music. Sony Music Entertainment. 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  6. ↑ It Happened at the World's Fair (awards) at AllMusic
  7. ↑ Jorgensen, op. cit., pp. 178.
  8. ↑ "It Happened at the World's Fair". Elvis - The Music. Sony Music Entertainment. 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  9. ↑ Sources:

External links