First in Line (song)
{{Infobox song
| name = First in Line
| cover =
| alt =
| type =
| artist = Elvis Presley
| album = Elvis {{noitalics|(1956)}}
| released = 1956
| recorded = 1956
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=21}}
| label = RCA Victor
| writer = {{hlist|Aaron Schroeder|Ben Weisman}}
| producer =
}}
"First in Line" is a song by Elvis Presley from his second album Elvis{{cite book|author=Paul Simpson|title=Elvis Films FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King of Rock 'n' Roll in Hollywood|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lcUIAgAAQBAJ&q=%22First+in+Line%22+%22Elvis%22&pg=PT351|date=1 October 2013|publisher=Applause Theatre & Cinema Books|isbn=978-1-4803-6689-3|pages=351–}} (1956, Presley's first album on RCA). The song was written by Aaron Schroeder and Ben Weisman, the first song Weisman ever wrote for Presley.{{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISUEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22First+in+Line%22+%22Elvis+Presley%22+%22Weisman%22&pg=PT42|date=17 March 1979|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=42–|issn=0006-2510}}
Recording
Presley recorded the song at the Radio Recorders Studio in Hollywood, California{{cite book|author=Robert Matthew-Walker|title=Heartbreak hotel: the life and music of Elvis Presley|url=https://archive.org/details/heartbreakhotell0000matt|url-access=registration|quote=First in Line Radio Recorders.|year=1995|publisher=Castle Communications|isbn=978-1-86074-055-8}} on September 3, 1956.
Release
The song was first released on Presley's 1956 album Elvis in 1956.{{cite web|url=http://lyrics.elvispresley.com.au/lyrics/first-in-line.html|title=First in Line : by Elvis Presley : Elvis Presley Lyrics : The Elvis SongDataBase|publisher=Elvis Australia : Official Elvis Presley Fan Club|accessdate=2017-01-14}}
Musical style and lyrics
It is a sad,{{cite book|author=Maury Dean|title=Rock and Roll: Gold Rush|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJS4EArRBwoC&q=%22First+in+Line%22+%22Elvis%22&pg=PA600|date=1 January 2003|publisher=Algora Publishing|isbn=978-0-87586-227-9|pages=600–}} plaintive ballad.
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide describes it as a "poignant love song", "one of Elvis' most deeply felt balladeering performances (despite doing 27 takes of the song before he was satisfied)." The book also notes the vulnerability of Presley's voice in it.{{cite book|author1=Nathan Brackett|author2=Christian David Hoard|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac|url-access=registration|quote=First in Line Elvis.|year=2004|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/n662 649]–}}
Track listing
7-inch EP Strictly Elvis (Elvis, Vol 3.) (RCA Victor EP-994){{cite book|author1=Tim Neely|author2=Martin Popoff|title=Goldmine Price Guide to 45 RPM Records|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kO8Pj784_4YC&q=%22First+in+Line%22+%22Elvis%22&pg=PA540|date=28 July 2009|publisher=Krause Publications|isbn=978-0-89689-958-2|pages=540–}}{{cite book|author=Martin Popoff|title=Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1948–1991|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XUI1R7jJz2YC&q=%22First+in+Line%22+%22Elvis%22&pg=PA940|date=5 August 2010|publisher=Krause Publications|isbn=978-1-4402-1621-3|pages=940–}}{{cite book|author=Jerry Osborne|title=Presleyana VI - the Elvis Presley Record, CD, and Memorabilia Price Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CE6JPQyNKawC&q=%22First+in+Line%22+%22Elvis%22&pg=PA85|date=1 July 2007|publisher=Jerry Osborne Enterprises|isbn=978-0-932117-49-6|pages=85–}}{{cite book|author=Paul Kennedy|title=Warman's Elvis Field Guide: Values & Identification|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EG6c0V70018C&q=%22First+in+Line%22+%22Elvis%22&pg=PA417|date=28 February 2011|publisher=Krause Publications|isbn=978-1-4402-2835-3|pages=417–}}
Side 1
- "Long Tall Sally"
- "First in Line"
Side 2
- "How Do You Think I Feel"
- "How's the World Treating You"
References
{{reflist}}
{{Elvis Presley}}
{{Elvis Presley singles}}
{{authority control}}