Songwriter, record producer and actor Paul Williams, writing about Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel", which ranked in fourth place in Crawdaddy Magazine's list of "The 100 best singles of all time"
"The first line of the record is sung without accompaniment, punctuated at the end by two beats, two chords on the piano. Exquisite. And this pattern is repeated through the verse, a cappella singing, piano crash, more a cappella singing; and then Elvis sings the chorus backed only by the beautiful, lonesome sound of a walking electric bass. The risk —only a great voice can hang out there that naked — is impressive and the payoff is phenomenal. None of which would matter, I suppose, if it weren't that the voice that this perfect and daring bit of accompaniment supports is nothing short of awesome; spirit is walking throughout this recording, just put it on the phonograph, and the room fills with ozone. Darkness and gloom drip joyfully from every rafter. This "Heartbreak Hotel" voice is an instant old friend; it intimately and unforgettably announces the arrival of something big"
Songwriter, record producer and actor Paul Williams, writing about Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel", which ranked in fourth place in Crawdaddy Magazine's list of "The 100 best singles of all time"
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