It Was 50 Years Ago Today: “Crying in the Chapel” by Elvis Presley
June 16, 1965
“Crying in the Chapel” by Elvis Presley
#1 on the Billboard Easy Listening Singles chart, May 22 – July 9, 1965
As touched on in last week’s column, early rock ‘n’ roll suffered an image problem that threatened its longevity. While most of the genre’s leading lights had dimmed by the early ’60s, whether due to death, scandal, or decline in material, Elvis Presley was the most notable exception. Much of the credit for Elvis’ sustained popularity during rock’s lean years goes to his manager/svengali Colonel Tom Parker, who sought to reinvent his client from a hip-swiveling, “race music”-warbling sex symbol, into a traditional, decidedly uncontroversial entertainer. This mainstreaming of Presley’s image began in the late ‘50s, when Parker channeled Elvis’s serious acting ambitions into frothy romantic comedies, and ensured that the draftee enlisted in the Army as a humble GI rather than as part of the celebrity-coddling Special Services. These efforts doubled down when Presley returned from military duty: his repertoire swelled with straightforward pop material suitable for the whole family, and his snarl softened into a croon.
As part of Parker’s appeal-broadening initiative, Presley recorded a gospel album, His Hand in Mine, soon after his discharge from the Army in 1960. He had previously paid tribute to the genre with the Peace in the Valley EP in 1957 and would go on to record two more LPs of religious music during his lifetime. Elvis’ love for this music was sincere — singing in church as a child had sparked his love for music — but Parker cannily recognized that these gospel recordings could nourish his wallet as well as his soul.
His Hand in Mine peaked at #13 on the pop LPs chart: somewhat lower than Elvis’ contemporaneous pop-rock albums, but astoundingly high for a gospel record. However, a lack of publishing rights (which Parker demanded for every song his client recorded) held back one of the tracks recorded during that album’s sessions for nearly five years. “Crying in the Chapel” was originally recorded in 1953 by Darrell Glenn, whose father Artie had written the song. Glenn’s version crossed into the Top 10 and spawned a deluge of hit covers, most notably by pop singer June Valli and by R&B group the Orioles.
Elvis’ version of “Crying in the Chapel” finally appeared as a special “Easter single” in April 1965 when its restrained, old-fashioned sound stood out even more among its pop peers than it would have half a decade earlier. In the song, Elvis describes shedding “tears of joy” evoked by a quiet religious experience in which he discovers contentment with the Lord. With only gospel quartet the Jordanaires (Elvis’ regular backing singers) and Floyd Cramer’s plaintive piano plinking providing support, the arrangement is as “plain and simple” as the church of the song. The stripped-down production allows Presley’s solemn yet supple voice and heartfelt performance to shine through.
“Crying in the Chapel” is one of the brightest spots of Elvis’ career in the ’60s, especially as he spent most of the decade churning out largely irrelevant, artistically unrewarding movies. While these films often were successful — previous column subject Roustabout topped the box office for four weeks, and its soundtrack also went to #1 — Elvis’ non-cinematic output was in a slump. “Crying in the Chapel” was the exception, climbing to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming his biggest hit since “(You’re the) Devil in Disguise” two years earlier. The record also topped the Easy Listening chart for seven weeks, marking his first #1 single in the US since “Good Luck Charm” in April 1962.
In the span of just a few years, Elvis had gone from being condemned by religious groups for his risqué performances to scoring one of the best-selling gospel records ever released. “Crying in the Chapel” kickstarted a series of religious-themed releases every Easter. None matched the success of the first, but Parker still tried to push Elvis to abandon rock ‘n’ roll to become a full-time gospel singer. (Elvis declined.) While it would be tempting to paint “Crying in the Chapel” as a comeback, it turned out to be an anomaly. Four years would pass before Elvis scored another Top 10 pop single, 1969’s “In the Ghetto.” Nevertheless, “Crying in the Chapel” did succeed at proving to doubters that Elvis’ talents extended beyond the devil’s music.
It Was 50 Years Ago Today examines a song, album, movie, or book that was #1 on the charts exactly half a century ago.
-
George L