"Playing for Keeps" is a song originally recorded by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

. Its first release on record was on January 4, 1957, on a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

with " Too Much" on the other side. "Playing for Keeps" reached number 34 in the United States, while "Too Much" spent 3 weeks at number 1. In 1959 the song was included on Elvis's album '' For LP Fans Only'' (an unusual album for Presley because all the songs on it had been already released one to almost five years prior).

Writing and recording history

The song was written by Sun Studio house band steel guitar and bass player

Stan Kesler Stanley Augustus Kesler (August 11, 1928October 26, 2020) was an American musician, record producer and songwriter, whose career began at the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. He co-wrote several of Elvis Presley's early recordings including " I' ...

(words and lyrics), who wrote or co-wrote five songs in total for Elvis Presley during Elvis's early career: " I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone". "

I Forgot to Remember to Forget "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" is a 1955 rockabilly and country song, first recorded by Elvis Presley written by Stan Kesler and Charlie Feathers. It was Elvis' first no. 1 record nationally. The single was the fifth and final single released on ...

", "Thrill of Your Life", "Playing for Keeps", "I'm a Fool (For Loving You)". Elvis recorded it on September 1, 1956, at the Radio Recorders Studio in Hollywood, California (at the studio sessions for RCA Victor that were held at Radio Recorders on September 1–3). The master recording of "Playing for Keeps" is a splice of two takes: take 7 with the ending from take 18.

Commercial performance and critical reception

Preorders for the single "Too Much" / "Playing For Keeps" reached almost 500,000 copies. ''Billboard'' picked the single "Two Much"/"Playing for Keep" for its "Spotlight" section and then (in its January 19, 1957, issue) as one of "This Week's Best Buys":
"Playing For Keeps/Too Much was a "Best Buy" in Billboard. The trade journal said "advance orders put this disk in the best seller class even before it was generally available." Mike Eder states his opinion of the side "Playing for Keeps" in his book ''Elvis Music FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King's Recorded Works'':

Track listings

7-inch single (RCA 47–6800, 4 January 1957) # " Too Much" # "Playing for Keeps" 7-inch EP ''Playing for Keeps'' (RCA EPA 9561, Germany) # "Playing for Keeps" # " Too Much" # "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" # "Doncha' Think It's Time" 7-inch EP ''All Shook Up'' (RCA 75.405, France) # "

All Shook Up "All Shook Up" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley, published by Elvis Presley Music, and composed by Otis Blackwell. The single topped the U.S. ''Billboard'' Top 100 on April 13, 1957, staying there for eight weeks. It also topped the ''Bil ...

" # "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" # " Too Much" # "Playing for Keeps"

Charts

References

External links

Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires - Playing For Keeps / Too Much at Discogs
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...