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Wooden Heart |
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Written by: Bert Kaempfert, Kay Twomey, Fred Wise, and Ben Weisman (Adapted from the German folk song "Muss I Denn Zum Stadtele Hinaus") Recorded: April 28, 1960, RCA Studios, Hollywood Released master is take 4. Single: w/ "Blue Christmas", 447-0720, Gold Standard Series original release, November 3, 1964 Also released w/ "Puppet On A String", 447-0650, Gold Standard Series original release, October 26, 1965 Highest U.S. Charts Positions:
1st LP release: G.I. Blues - October 1960 |
Click to download or buy "Wooden Heart" now from Amazon!  or download from iTunes: For other versions, see Lyrics and Downloads section below. |
| Americans may be surprised to learn that "Wooden Heart" is so popular in the rest of the world. It wasn't released as a single in the U.S. until a few years after G.I. Blues was long gone from theaters. Only after Joe Dowell had a minor hit with "Wooden Heart" was Elvis' original recording then thrown onto the back side of two singles (one for Christmas 1964, and one in October of the following year) but the song didn't get much attention in the States. Elsewhere, however, it was Elvis' version that was a hit, and much bigger than Dowell's or anyone else's. |
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| Musically, this isn't earth-shattering stuff, though. Elvis, still eager to give even his soundtrack recordings a decent amount of care, does a fine job vocally with this pleasant but simple melody. "Wooden Heart" is a rewrite of the traditional German folk song "Muss I Denn Zum Stadtele Hinaus" and won't be the last time Elvis' soundtrack material visits older European folk tunes and gives them an update. In the end, this recording is innocuous, works just fine as a children's song, and is catchy enough to creep into your head once in a while. Beware! |
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Some fans (and most non-fans) bemoan the fact that the "king of rock-n-roll" stooped to doing lullabies and singing to puppets in the movies, and yeah, I'll be the first to say there was way too much of that! But hey, scroll down this page to the Downloads section, and when you see that in this world there does exist an album called "Kick Ass Polkas", the appropriate response is for you to laugh out loud and not get all uptight about Elvis "abandoning rock-n-roll"! ... Lighten up, Francis! |
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Other Spins(What did the critics and fans say?)From G.I. Blues (1960), accordion, puppets, kids and Elvis singing engagingly in German. Based on an old German folks song "Muss I Denn Zum Stadtele Hinaus"... Single released in the U.K. and West Germany was enormously successful. The Complete Elvis, edited by Martin Torgoff, 1982 Check out other Elvis fans' opinions on the Elvis News page for Wooden Heart Check out other opinions at Rate Your Music "Wooden Heart" Links
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Can't you see, I love you Please don't break my heart in two That's not hard to do 'Cause I don't have a wooden heart And if you say goodbye Then I know that I would cry Maybe I would die 'Cause I don't have a wooden heart There's no strings upon this love of mine It was always you from the start Treat me nice, treat me good Treat me like you really should 'Cause I'm not made of wood And I don't have a wooden heart Muss i denn, muss i denn Zum Stadtele hinaus Stadtele hinaus Und du, mein schatz, bleibst hier There's no strings upon this love of mine It was always you from the start Sei mir gut, sei mir gut Sei mir wie du wirklich sollst Wie du wirklich sollst 'Cause I don't have a wooden heart See Muss I Denn Zum Stadtele Hinaus for original lyrics to the folk song |
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