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Rating: 
Summary: A Beautiful Book
Review: As a pre-kindergarten teacher I picked up the book to read to my students, and it brought tears to my eyes. The vivid pictures brought back intense memories of being a young girl. I played the "Love Me Tender" CD which accompanies the book, and the children loved it. People of all ages will feel a connection with this story.
Rating:
Summary: A MASTERPIECE
Review: The illustrations of the lyrics to Elvis Presley's classic song LOVE ME TENDER by illustrator Tom Browning are remarkable. Browning has done an amazing job. LOVE ME TENDER is one of the greatest ballads of the twentieth century. It is easily one of the most poignant and endearing love songs. LOVE ME TENDER is a song everyone knows. Tom Browning has brought the lyrics to life with his illustrations.Elvis Presley recorded LOVE ME TENDER on August 24, 1956 and performed it on the Ed Sullivan show. The record was no. 1 for 5 weeks on Billboard in 1956 and is a multi-platinum seller. (Actor Richard Chamberlain and Percy Sledge also had Top 40 hits with cover versions of the song in the 1960s.) The song originally was part of the Twentieth-Century Fox Cinemascope movie of the same name. The producers originally wanted to call the movie THE RENO BROTHERS but changed the movie title to LOVE ME TENDER after hearing the song. The song was published by Elvis Presley Music and was written by Ken Darby ( a multi-Academy Award winner for music) and Elvis Presley. Vera Matson, listed as a co-writer, was actually the wife of Ken Darby,Vera Darby, using her maiden name on the songwriting credit. Ken Darby was the "principal writer" but Elvis Presley worked on the song in the studio, playing piano and guitar, and was instrumental in the creation of the final song. The melody is actually an adaptation of a Civil War era song called Aura Lee. The movie took place during the Civil War period so the song was perfect. Elvis Presley gave one of his most powerful vocal performances when he recorded LOVE ME TENDER. The performance is pensive and haunting and is the reason why the song became a classic. Elvis Presley put all the subdued emotion he could into the song. The result was spectacular. LOVE ME TENDER is one of Elvis Presley's greatest artistic creations. It is also one of his greatest performances and has become a part of Americana and musical legend. Tom Browning brings out the poignancy of the lyrics and captures the power of the song. This book is highly recommended.
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