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Elvis Presley: The Heartfelt Motivation Behind Why He Recorded 2 of the Songs on His 1st Album

Elvis Presley had a number of sweet and moving ballads during his career.

His smooth, rhythmic, and deep voice made him the perfect match for slower romantic ballads or fast-paced “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” type songs.

They weren’t all meant to leave fans awestruck, although they often did, some of his songs were actually a gift to one of Elvis’ favorite people in the world, his mother.

Elvis Presley Recorded Songs for His Mom

According to Factinate, Presley paid for his very first studio time in July 1953 at Sun Records. Here he recorded the songs “My Happiness” and “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin.”

At the time he was right on the way to being discovered by the music industry. However, he also wanted to record the ballads as a gift to his mother, Gladys.

He was 18 at the time and paid $4 to record the album as a birthday gift. Side “A” was “My Happiness.” According to CBS News, his mom never heard the song because she didn’t have a record player and he never recorded the song again. Her birthday was also in April, not July.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC-LG7wfvmU

The recording of the ballad actually sold for $300,000 in 2015.

The song “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” was revisited on at least two other occasions in recording studios. The Beatles sometimes performed the song live from 1959 to 1961.

Presley and His Mom

Elvis Presley and his mom Gladys had an incredibly close relationship. While he liked to write sweet ballads for his mother it also seemed like he would do just about anything for her.

He was extremely close to her all throughout his childhood. The two allegedly spoke in baby talk and shared a bed until Elvis was a young teen. Although this is partially due to the family’s financial situation.

According to Biography.com, Gladys passed away while Elvis Presley was in the military. He was granted leave to return to Memphis for the funeral. However, he was deeply saddened by his mother’s death and was hysterical for days.

It was something that he rightfully could never really get over.

Elvis Presley also gifted his mother a pink and white Cadillac, although she never learned to drive, and two mixers for the kitchen. Even when he was beginning to gain popularity he would still call his mother every night.

According to Neatorama, Gladys had mixed feelings about her son’s success. She was extremely protective so it was hard for her to share her son with millions of other people. She had started drinking to deal with depression. By the time Elvis was in the army she had put on a lot of weight and started taking dieting pills.

Her health got gradually worse until she was in the hospital from a liver condition and then eventually died from a heart attack.

Elvis reportedly tried to wake his mother up to talk to her and even said “She’s all I ever lived for. She was always my best girl.”