"Sylvia" is a song 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 ...

from his 1972 album ''

Elvis Now ''Elvis Now'' is the sixteenth studio album by American singer Elvis Presley, released on February 20, 1972. The only single from the album, "Until It's Time for You to Go" / " We Can Make the Morning" reached number 9 on the Easy Listening chart ...

'', being the penultimate song recorded on the last day of the prolific Nashville recording sessions in June 1970 (which yielded a total of more than 30 songs, spread over several albums). For some reason RCA Victor (possibly considering it as a single candidate)Jorgensen, ''Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 307. did not include the song either on ''That’s The Way It Is'' album in 1970 or on ''

Love Letters from Elvis ''Love Letters from Elvis'' is the fourteenth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released in 1971. The album was critically panned upon release, and failed to crack the top 20 of the Billboard album charts but did reach N ...

'' album in 1971, though it was recorded during the same sessions and was thematically appropriate for both these albums. It eventually appeared on ''

'' in 1972. However, the 2008 ''FTD'' re-release of ''

'' contained the master version of the track (known as Take 8) as well as all its outtakes. Another version of the song, recorded on July 15, 1970, at MGM Studios during the rehearsals for the MGM documentary ''That's the Way It Is'', and available on several bootlegs, suggests Presley's willingness to revive the song for the upcoming Las Vegas concerts. He can be heard vocalizing to the

TCB Band The TCB Band is a group of professional musicians who formed the core rhythm section of Elvis Presley’s band from August 1969 until his death in 1977. (Depending on the context, the nickname may also extend to Elvis’ background vocalists du ...

, expecting it to accompany his vocals. However, the lackluster response from the musicians (or their unfamiliarity with the material) caused him to abandon the idea. In 1972, the song reached the top of the charts in Brazil.

Writing and recording

It was written by

Geoff Stephens Geoffrey Stephens (1 October 1934 – 24 December 2020) was an English songwriter and record producer, most prolific in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and 1970s. He wrote a long series of hit records, often in conjunction with other British so ...

and Les Reed. Presley recorded it on June 8, 1970, at

RCA Studio B RCA Studio B was a music recording studio built in 1956 in Nashville, Tennessee by RCA Victor. Originally known simply as "RCA Studios," Studio B, along with the larger and later RCA Studio A became known in the 1960s for being an essential fac ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

Track listings

7" single (Brazil, 1972) :A. "Sylvia" (3:16) :B. "Put Your Hand in the Hand" (3:15)

References

External links

Elvis Presley - Sylvia
(7" single, Brazil, 1972) 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 ...

{{Elvis Presley singles 1970 songs 1972 singles Elvis Presley songs RCA Victor singles Songs written by Geoff Stephens Songs written by Les Reed (songwriter) Rock ballads 1970s ballads