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A Big Hunk O' Love |
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Written by: Sid Wyche, Aaron Schroeder Recorded: June 10, 1958, RCA Nashville Studios Released master is a splice of takes 3 and 4 Single: w/ "My Wish Came True", 47-7600, June 23, 1959 Also re-released as Gold Standard Series, 447-0626, February 1962 RIAA Certified: Gold (as of 03/27/1992) Highest U.S. Charts Position: #1 on Billboard Hot 100 for 2 weeks #10 on Rhythm & Blues chart. 1st LP release: 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Cant Be Wrong, Elvis Gold Records, Vol 2 - December 1959 |
Click to download or buy "A Big Hunk O' Love" now from Amazon!  or download from iTunes: For other versions, see Lyrics and Downloads section below. |
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This was one of Elvis' wildest rockers of the '50s, a frantic, noisy, lightning-fast song that would make Little Richard proud. The song opens in full instrumentation, as if you'd switched over to it in the middle of the song, the piano, guitars, and background voices already cranking out at full speed. A few bars into it, Elvis comes in with a shout, "Hey baby!" and you already know it's a classic! Now that he's got your attention, he gets to the main point: Hey baby, I ain't askin' much o' you No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, baby, I ain't askin' much o' you Just a big-a big-a big-a hunk o' love... will do! |
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Like most fast rock songs of the '50s, there's a playful sense of humor, and definitely nothing serious about the lyrics. "A Big Hunk O' Love" contains the typical mix of aggressiveness and silliness, as in the classic lines at the end of the third verse: You're just a natural-born beehive, filled with honey to the top But I ain't greedy baby, all I want is all you got! |
| Released a little over a year after Elvis went in the army, this song was probably a welcome sound on the radio, reassuring fans that although he was temporarily out of the public eye, the King could still rock! I first heard it when I got my brother a copy of 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Cant Be Wrong for Christmas (mainly so I could listen to it myself, of course), and it immediately became my favorite from that album. |
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| Starting in 1972, Elvis began incorporating "A Big Hunk O' Love" into his live performances, with an updated arrangement. Glen D. Hardin starts it off with a piano intro, and after a few bars, Ronnie Tutt's drum builds up to the full band and orchestra kicking in just in time for Elvis' first line, "Hey baby...". Although not as manic as the 1958 studio recording, it was still a rock 'n' roll highlight of his '70s shows. Elvis seemed to get into it more than the performances of his other '50s hits that he felt obligated to sing. He can be seen performing it in the film Elvis On Tour, in the summer of 1972, and on the TV special Aloha From Hawaii, in January 1973. He continued to include it in his concerts until 1974. |
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"A Big Hunk O' Love" is a classic rocker. Presley is at the top of his form. Although the recording is smothered with echo, it is in keeping with the song. Robert Matthew-Walker, Elvis Presley: A Study in Music, 1979 Swinging, prototypical rock n roll... a staple of Elvis' road show. The Complete Elvis, edited by Martin Torgoff, 1982 Check out other Elvis fans' opinions on the Elvis News page for A Big Hunk O' Love Check out other opinions at Rate Your Music "A Big Hunk O' Love" Links
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Hey baby, I ain't askin' much of you No no no no no no no no baby, I ain't askin' much of you Just a big-a big-a big-a hunk o' love will do Don't be a stingy little mama You 'bout to starve me half to death Well you can spare a kiss or two and still have plenty left, no no no Baby, I ain't askin' much of you Just a big-a big-a big-a hunk o' love will do You're just a natural born beehive Filled with honey to the top Well I ain't greedy baby, all I want is all you got, no no no Baby, I ain't askin' much of you Just a big-a big-a big-a hunk o' love will do I got a wishbone in my pocket I got a rabbit's foot around my wrist You know I'd have all the things my lucky charms could bring If you'd give me just one sweet kiss, no no no no no no no Baby, I ain't askin' much of you Just a big-a big-a big-a hunk o' love will do |
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