Pieces of My Life
{{Infobox song
| name = Pieces of My Life
| cover =
| alt =
| border =
| caption =
| type = single
| artist = Elvis Presley
| album = Today
| A-side = "Bringing It Back"
"Pieces of My Life"
| released = {{release date|1975|09|20}}
| recorded = March 12, 1975
| studio = RCA Studio C, Hollywood
| venue =
| genre = Country
| length =
| label =
| writer = Troy Seals
| producer =
| prev_title = T-R-O-U-B-L-E
| prev_title2 = Mr. Songman
| prev_year = 1975
| title = Bringing It Back
| title2 = Pieces of My Life
| next_title = For the Heart
| next_title2 = Hurt
| next_year = 1976
}}
"Pieces of My Life" is a song written by Troy Seals. It was originally recorded by Charlie Rich and appeared on his 1974 album The Silver Fox.{{cite web|url=https://secondhandsongs.com/work/96833|title=Original versions of Pieces of My Life written by Troy Seals|website=SecondHandSongs|accessdate=2021-02-15}}{{cite web|url=https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/96833|title=Cover versions of Pieces of My Life by Charlie Rich|website=SecondHandSongs|accessdate=2021-03-01}}
In 1975, Elvis Presley covered the song for his album Today. Released as a single (with "Bringing It Back" on the opposite side) on September 20, 1975,{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|url=https://elvisthemusic.com/music/bringing-it-back/|title=Bringing It Back|website=Elvis Presley Official Web Site Elvis The Music|access-date=2021-02-09}} the song reached number 33 on the Billboard country chart.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/elvis-presley/chart-history/csi/|title=Elvis Presley|magazine=Billboard }}
Elvis Presley version
= Recording =
Presley recorded the song on March 12, 1975, at RCA's Studio C in Hollywood for his album Today.{{cite web|url=https://www.elvisthemusic.com/music/today/|title=Today|website=Elvis Presley official website "Elvis the Music"|accessdate=2020-02-15}}
https://elvisthemusic.com/music/today-legacy-edition/ It features James Burton, John Wilkinson and Charlie Hodge on guitar, Duke Bardwell on bass, Ronnie Tutt on drums, Glen D. Hardin and Tony Brown on piano, David Briggs and Greg Gordon on clavinet. The recording was later overdubbed by Johnny Christopher and Chip Young on guitar, Norbert Putnam and Mike Leech on bass, Richard F. Morris on percussion, Charles L. Rose on saxophone, Harvey L. Thompson on trombone, Harrison Calloway on trumpet, Ronald Eades on junior baritone saxophone and The Holladays on additional vocals.
During the session, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys visited and disrupted the recording. Wilson remembered, {{quote|I was recording with Terry Melcher at RCA Victor Records in 1975. We were working on the song "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Terry said, "Hey, Elvis is in the next studio recording." That was a big surprise to hear he was in the studio next to me. So I walked into the studio and said, "Hi, I’m Brian Wilson" and he goes, "Hello Duke." I don’t know why he called me Duke." I said, "Would you like to hear what I’m doing in the studio?" and he said yes. So we walked over to my studio and listened to what I was doing and then said he had to leave.{{cite web|last=Sharp|first=Ken|title=Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, Mike Love - The Interview|url=https://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/brian-wilson-beach-boys-interview-mike-love-al-jardine/|work=Rock Cellar Magazine|date=November 1, 2013|accessdate=June 7, 2021}}}} According to Memphis Mafia member Jerry Schilling, Wilson played some of the band's recent recordings for Presley. "After a few tracks, Brian says, 'Well? Do you think they're any good?' Elvis looks up and replies, 'Nah,' before leaving. I don't think he had any idea that the guy was Brian Wilson."{{cite book|last=Badman|first=Keith|title=The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio|url=https://archive.org/details/beachboysdefinit0000badm|url-access=registration|year=2004|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=978-0-87930-818-6|page=346}} Wilson then tried to karate chop the singer.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/jul/24/popandrock |title=Q&A: Brian Wilson|last=Greenstreet |first=Rosanna |work=The Guardian |date=July 23, 2004}}
= Release =
On September 20, 1975, "with absolutely nothing new to release, and no prospects of another recording session in sight", RCA Victor released "Pieces of My Life" and another song from the same album, "Bringing It Back", as a single. As the Elvis Presley official website states it, "the strategy was not lost on a public that had already bought well-worn material once in numbers that were unlikely to be repeated". "Brigning It Back" reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100,{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/elvis-presley/chart-history/hsi/|title=Elvis Presley|magazine=Billboard }} and "Pieces of My Life" number 33 on the Billboard country chart.
= Track listing =
{{Track listing
| headline = 7" single {{nobold|(RCA Victor PB-10401, 1975)}}
| extra_column =
| total_length =
| all_writing =
| all_lyrics =
| all_music =
| title_width =
| writing_width =
| music_width =
| lyrics_width =
| extra_width =
| title1 = Bringing It Back
| note1 =
| writer1 = Greg Gordon
| lyrics1 =
| music1 =
| extra1 =
| length1 = 2:58
| title2 = Pieces of My Life
| note2 =
| writer2 = Troy Seals
| lyrics2 =
| music2 =
| extra2 =
| length2 = 3:59
}}
= Charts =
| class="wikitable sortable"
!align="center"|Chart (1975) !align="center"|Peak |
| {{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|33|artist=Elvis Presley|accessdate=2019-01-16|refname=}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Discogs master|243601|type=single|name=Bringing It Back / Pieces of My Life}}
- [https://elvisthemusic.com/music/bringing-it-back/ Bringing It Back / Pieces of My Life] on the Elvis Presley official website
{{Elvis Presley singles}}