(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear
"(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" | ||||
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Single by Elvis Presley | ||||
from the album Loving You | ||||
B-side | "Loving You" | |||
Released | June 11, 1957 | |||
Format | 78- & 45-rpm records | |||
Recorded | January 22, 1957 | |||
Studio | Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | Rock and roll, rhythm and blues | |||
Length | 1:46 | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kal Mann, Bernie Lowe | |||
Producer(s) | Walter Scharf | |||
Elvis Presley singles chronology | ||||
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Loving You track listing | ||||
12 tracks
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Music video | ||||
"(Let Me be Your) Teddy Bear" (audio) on YouTube |
"(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" is a popular song first recorded by Elvis Presley in 1957 for the soundtrack of his second motion picture, Loving You, during which Presley performs the song on screen. It was written by Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe and published in 1957 by Gladys Music. Clear melodic roots of this tune can be heard in the many early recordings of Boll Weevil, a traditional blues song.
Presley single
The song was a U.S. No. 1 hit for during the summer of 1957, staying at No. 1 for seven weeks, the third of the four Presley had that year. "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" would also hit No. 1 on the R&B Best Sellers List, becoming his fourth No. 1 on that chart.[1] The song also reached No. 1 on the country charts for a single week.[2]
Personnel
- Elvis Presley – lead vocal, acoustic guitar
- Dudley Brooks – piano
- Bill Black – double bass
- D.J. Fontana – drums
- Walter Scharf – producer
- Thorne Nogar – engineer
Cover versions
- Barry Frank (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" and "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" on Bell Records (1957)
- Peter Kraus released a version in German titled "Teddybär" (1957)
- Johnny Hallyday recorded a home demo version in French titled "Ton Petit Ours En Peluche" (1959)
- Jerry Kennedy on his LP "Dancing Guitars Rock The Hits Of The King" (1962)
- Pat Boone on his LP Pat Boone Sings Guess Who? (1963)
- Laurel Aitken on his LP Scandal in a Brixton Market (1969)
- Glen Campbell on his album Live at the Royal Festival Hall (1977)
- Angelyne on her album Angelyne (1982)
- Mud on their album Les Grays Mud (1982)
- Cliff Richard on his limited release album Rock 'n' Roll Silver (1983).
- Tanya Tucker on the compilation It's Now or Never: The Tribute to Elvis (1994)
- ZZ Top on their album XXX (1999)
- Donna Loren on her EP Donna Does Elvis in Hawaii (2010)[3]
- The Residents on their album The King & Eye (1989)
- João Penca e Seus Miquinhos Amestrados performs a Portuguese adaptation of the song, entitled "O Ursinho", in their album Os Maiores Sucessos de João Penca e Seus Miquinhos Amestrados (1983)
- Take That with Mark Owen on lead vocal as a live performance (part of the "Rock 'N' Roll Medley") during their Everything Changes Tour (1993–1994)
Pop culture
A modified version of the song has often been used for Teddy Grahams commercials. Also, during early episodes of Full House, the three main adult characters would often sing the song as a lullaby for Michelle Tanner (one of those three characters, Michelle's uncle Jesse, was a die-hard Elvis fan).
Disney featured a music video in the special DTV Romancin' (1986), set entirely to clips featuring the bear characters from the company's animated films, including an introduction by the Gummi Bears.
References
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 467.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 272.
- ↑ Donna Loren Official Website.