Midnight, Elvis, Rain and Insight

It’s a cold, wet midnight in Baton Rouge and all is still. The rhythmic patter of gentle, steady south Louisiana rain on the metal roof is soothing, especially when the sound is further softened by the background hum of the heaters. Even my 5 dogs have drifted off to their beds, warm and dry, no doubt dreaming of adventures yet to come.

I cannot sleep, so some of my favorite old tunes are playing…and they strike chords within me, as old songs often do. And, within the refrain, when it’s late and quiet, you often hear just what you need to hear.

Like tonight, for example:

We're caught in a trap
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much baby

Why can't you see
What you're doing to me
When you don't believe a word I say?

We can't go on together
With suspicious minds
And we can't build our dreams
On suspicious minds

So, if an old friend I know
Drops by to say hello
Would I still see suspicion in your eyes?

Here we go again
Asking where I've been
You can't see these tears are real
I'm crying

We can't go on together
With suspicious minds
And we can't build our dreams
On suspicious minds

Oh let our love survive
Or dry the tears from your eyes
Let's don't let a good thing die

When honey, you know
I've never lied to you
Mmm yeah, yeah…

Hmmmm…Elvis.

Elvis?

The King doesn’t make my late night play-list very often, because I can often only see the caricature into which he later evolved. But, he wasn’t always that way. There’s the young gun Elvis --- the slim, leather clad rebel from 1969, takin’ a chance on a song that had already failed for Mark James, the fella who originally wrote it.

Elvis recorded that which appeared failed and it took life anew.

It is with us yet. And so is Elvis, for that matter.

We can’t build our dreams upon foundations of suspicion, young, hot Elvis is singing to me now, amid swells of background vocals and rich orchestration from 40 years ago.

Give it a listen.....cut & paste this into your browser....see if YOU hear anything in it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcmmI3MgJqA

Elvis.

Who knew?

---J.R.