Yes, 'Aura Lee' is a forerunner to the more popular 'Love Me Tender'. While the instrumental acompaniment sounds vritually the same to the average listener, the trained musician will often pick up that some minor changes were also effected to the music score when the song was updated. I personally like the original more - but both versions will remain sparkilng gems for as long as there are ears that know what music should sound like.
This song was popular during the Civil War. As "Love Me Tender"'s setting was the Civil War (Elvis' brother in the movie went to fight and was thought to have been killed), this song was picked for Elvis to sing. The producers thought it should be updated to sell more records, so new words were written.
This is the original tune from the Civil War era... Elvis took the music and applied his own words. Love Me Tender was a different piece, which gets confusing when other people post that song under this songs title.
Hi! I'm making high degree musical studies at ESMUC, Barcelona, Spain. I'm doing a work about the authory of Aura Lee, not necessary against Elvis, but trying to refresh to the audience that this tune has another origin different from the movie Love me Tender (ugh!) and trying to break the effect of the marketing and "unsportive" attitude of the director and Elvis, whom get the rights like if they were the authors. I don't like brain washing...If someone can help me anyway i'll thank u a lot!
@mrmajder Hey buddy, this song, that I know of, has no defined author because it's age. It was written around the time of the Civil War, and turned into a folk song of sorts. It was ad libbed by many, such as Elvis, and converted into other songs with this music. Elvis just used the music and wrote his own words to fit it.
@brandoncarnley Hi!! thank you very much!!!! I had a lot of info now!! I've been picking every little thing i found...Somethings like melody is from french-criolle people and then they sung the Aur Lee words....i will tell something about the final result! THANKS AGAIN for your interesting!
@mrmajder :) Oh, I didnt know that. Makes sense with the French Creoles though, since they were from French ancestry. Hey, you live in Spain. Habla espanol major que ingles?
@brandoncarnley JE JE!! Si, vivo en Barcelona, but it's not a problem for me to speak in english, but if you want to prctice i don't mind...je je...see ya!!
Yes, most know "Love me Tender." We think we are smarter because we are living now. "Aura Lee" was known by the preceding generations, esp. those before and right after the turn of the last Century. I don't recognize this is an Elvis song.....I think of "Aura Lee"--the original. So, just wanted to say that when you say, "Nobody" ever heard of "Aura Lee" that you are mistaken. It's just that we are from this generation; the previous generations knew "Aura Lee" very well.
Much as I liked Elvis, he never wrote one thing! It was a stipulation that his Manager Col. Tom Parker made the produces do so that Elvis would share in the royalties.
Aura Lee is a song from the Civil War Era. The music goes with it. Elvis did the same as a lot of musicians did and have done. He wrote a song onto uncopyrighted music.
Elvis, not one of my favorites at all (just to be upfront)....."stole" "Aura Lee" and people think he invented "Love Me Tender." Same for "There's No Tomorrow." He "lifted" that also.
@BigBingFan Elvis did not STEAL the song, do your homework and you'd know that. "There's No Tomorrow", JUST LIKE "It's Now or Never" was BASED on "O Sole Mio", again nothing stolen.
Everyone knows "O Sole Mio." The generations preceding you and me knew "Aura Lee" very well. Everyone in each generation thinks "they have all the wisdom." Turns out that "Aura Lee" escaped the Baby Boomers generation, but not the "Greatest Generation" and before...so, now, the Baby Boomers think that "Love Me Tender" is original and Elvis concocted it, originated it, and was the mastermind behind it. Not so. Don't like Elvis in the least; he just performed a reworded tune.
@BigBingFan You only assume everyone knows "O Sole Mio" & that's all it can be an assumption. I'm sure there are people that believe "Love Me Tender" is an original, they'd be right about the lyric just not the medley. It was & is very common to take and reshape what has been, we don't all like it, but it happens. Elvis simply sang a Ballad that was re-written by Composer Ken Darby. I like Elvis' music, he was a great singer. We can't always agree but I do agree with your generations comment.
"Stolen" in the musical context, means, a bastardizing of the original. What's to improve on, say, "White Christmas?" Why not change the words? I'm saying this and will leave it at this: Elvis "borrowed" the composition, which was not "his" as his adherants believe, that he originated, formulated and was the godfather of all music, because they are of the same generation. The present generations have nothing musically at all, on the previous generations. 'Twas much better then
I played this on piano a long time ago... like... when I was seven, and when I heard this song playing, I started to sing along with it. I miss it so much! And "Love me Tender" also is good; i didn't realize they had the same melody till I heard it on a school CD--about ten minutes ago.
@grimTales1 yeah, aura lee is an old public domain song....no one owns it anymore. Another example is John Lennons "Happy Christmas, War is over"....it was directly taken from the old folk song "Stew Ball"
this is the first song i learned on acoustic guitar by myself that i wanted my dad to hear me play but someone smashed my guitar it was one of my dads favorite songs.
this is the first known recording to have been recorded and it was recorded in 1860 i was born in 1897 and im really old and this brings back happy memories
I guess that this was a song writen in the late 1800's. Elvis then later did love me tender in I think 1956. I think that, that is neat. I love the old stuff. Thank you. :)
beautiful song! Although I couldn't help but notice how it sings of "Aura Lee" - "orally" which might be a little subliminally suggestive if you think about it
"Maid of golden hair," might have something to do with it...
"Sunshine CAME along with thee, and SWALLOWS in the air." Two words that should never be used near each other.
"ON HER CHEEK the rose was born...IN HER EYES the rays of morn with sudden splendor break." Now it's just plain obvious. Call me immature, but it's pretty hard to deny. Plus with all the censors back in the day, this is a devilishly clever way to slip suggestive things past them... =)
this is an old civil war sing, no music media=no music censors, if they wanted a song about bj's theyd make a song about bj's, im sure there were dirtier songs back then
This is a a beautiful illustration of what was so deeply wrong with David Archuleta's American Idol performance of "Love Me Tender." Reeves understood and respected the beauty of the original melody, and stuck with it all the way through.
My a capella group is gonna do this song mashed-up with Love Me Tender. We're going to do a couple of Aura Lee's verses and then do Love Me Tender as a kicker.
Aura Lee -is- the original vocal version of this melody, & it was written during the Civil War. I don't have the info at hand, but I believe the "Love Me Tender" verses were written for the Elvis version. Either way, 1st time I've heard the original, & I love Jim Reeves-Thanks!
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MrMiketekken 5 days ago
my name is auralee
sexyauraleelol123 2 weeks ago
I'm 90% sure Aura Lee is a Civil War-era love song. Not the original artist obviously, but the original lyrics to the tune.
IStealCrumbs 3 weeks ago
The harmonie between 1:08 and 1:18 is probably the bist shit ive ever heard.. nowadays i miss this, "pop" ruined the music
44STYLE187 1 month ago
Its Really good ! :) but stil love me tender will always will be the best ..
107olivier 3 months ago
Is this really the original? I always thought this was an old folk song from the 19th century.
zzzut 4 months ago
muito serena original...
muito boa. abraços brasil
wellingtonrosa1 5 months ago
I heard that someone in the audience once requested that he sing "Aura Lee", to which he is alleged to have replied:
Sir, I'll be happy to sing Aura Lee, but please don't ask me to sing Ana Lee- that would be fart too difficult!
What a wit Jim was!
setunle 6 months ago
Yes, 'Aura Lee' is a forerunner to the more popular 'Love Me Tender'. While the instrumental acompaniment sounds vritually the same to the average listener, the trained musician will often pick up that some minor changes were also effected to the music score when the song was updated. I personally like the original more - but both versions will remain sparkilng gems for as long as there are ears that know what music should sound like.
kayem11 6 months ago
i first heard this song (or a part of it) on the highlander tv series (season 5 episode 7)
PaulXPZ 7 months ago
Did this song 4 choir at a contest and got 1st place
tommycalvillo 7 months ago
may I can ask the date the video was originally recorded? Is that 1959?
obamabeanraden 9 months ago
@obamabeanraden From I understand this is a folk song.
GENERALWACKASS 9 months ago
This song was popular during the Civil War. As "Love Me Tender"'s setting was the Civil War (Elvis' brother in the movie went to fight and was thought to have been killed), this song was picked for Elvis to sing. The producers thought it should be updated to sell more records, so new words were written.
tnlshaw 9 months ago
Thumbs up if himym brought you here
astroNUTTIE 9 months ago
Beautiful, Classic country song, beautifully sung.
1psoas9 10 months ago
very tender song, this one... Nice post for the Earth Day, yes indeedy
♫♥AnnA♥♫
FinallyunderstandU 10 months ago
Interesting song! Greetings Dieteer
DieterLo1 10 months ago
I get to play this on my euphonium today!
JacobBlacksGIRL99 10 months ago
So beautiful... :' I I'm crying... I love this song so much. Most beautiful piece of classical music I can think of.
HMCowHugger 10 months ago
This is the original tune from the Civil War era... Elvis took the music and applied his own words. Love Me Tender was a different piece, which gets confusing when other people post that song under this songs title.
brandoncarnley 11 months ago
oh civil war songs...
fauxman 11 months ago
Hi! I'm making high degree musical studies at ESMUC, Barcelona, Spain. I'm doing a work about the authory of Aura Lee, not necessary against Elvis, but trying to refresh to the audience that this tune has another origin different from the movie Love me Tender (ugh!) and trying to break the effect of the marketing and "unsportive" attitude of the director and Elvis, whom get the rights like if they were the authors. I don't like brain washing...If someone can help me anyway i'll thank u a lot!
mrmajder 11 months ago
@mrmajder Hey buddy, this song, that I know of, has no defined author because it's age. It was written around the time of the Civil War, and turned into a folk song of sorts. It was ad libbed by many, such as Elvis, and converted into other songs with this music. Elvis just used the music and wrote his own words to fit it.
brandoncarnley 11 months ago
@brandoncarnley Hi!! thank you very much!!!! I had a lot of info now!! I've been picking every little thing i found...Somethings like melody is from french-criolle people and then they sung the Aur Lee words....i will tell something about the final result! THANKS AGAIN for your interesting!
See ya!
mrmajder 11 months ago
@mrmajder :) Oh, I didnt know that. Makes sense with the French Creoles though, since they were from French ancestry. Hey, you live in Spain. Habla espanol major que ingles?
brandoncarnley 11 months ago
@brandoncarnley JE JE!! Si, vivo en Barcelona, but it's not a problem for me to speak in english, but if you want to prctice i don't mind...je je...see ya!!
mrmajder 11 months ago
@mrmajder Ah, I dont mind either way. Yo hablo poquito espanol. Soy un estudiante primer ano. Cuantos anos tiene usted habla ingles?
brandoncarnley 11 months ago
i can play some of this on my piano...
Shapania 1 year ago
Difference is,...Everybody in the whole world knows the song "Love me Tender"!
Nobody ever heard of a song called Aura Lee???
Thats why this melodie is called an Elvis song!
ShakinJonny 1 year ago
@ShakinJonny
Yes, most know "Love me Tender." We think we are smarter because we are living now. "Aura Lee" was known by the preceding generations, esp. those before and right after the turn of the last Century. I don't recognize this is an Elvis song.....I think of "Aura Lee"--the original. So, just wanted to say that when you say, "Nobody" ever heard of "Aura Lee" that you are mistaken. It's just that we are from this generation; the previous generations knew "Aura Lee" very well.
BigBingFan 1 year ago
Much as I liked Elvis, he never wrote one thing! It was a stipulation that his Manager Col. Tom Parker made the produces do so that Elvis would share in the royalties.
johnnieonenote1 1 year ago
as far as i am aware this was jim's song first,thank's for posting,jim;s my favourite singer.lol
MrAnfield183 1 year ago
Aura Lee is a song from the Civil War Era. The music goes with it. Elvis did the same as a lot of musicians did and have done. He wrote a song onto uncopyrighted music.
Surasanji 1 year ago
Elvis, not one of my favorites at all (just to be upfront)....."stole" "Aura Lee" and people think he invented "Love Me Tender." Same for "There's No Tomorrow." He "lifted" that also.
BigBingFan 1 year ago
@BigBingFan Elvis did not STEAL the song, do your homework and you'd know that. "There's No Tomorrow", JUST LIKE "It's Now or Never" was BASED on "O Sole Mio", again nothing stolen.
Burner1966 1 year ago
@Burner1966
Everyone knows "O Sole Mio." The generations preceding you and me knew "Aura Lee" very well. Everyone in each generation thinks "they have all the wisdom." Turns out that "Aura Lee" escaped the Baby Boomers generation, but not the "Greatest Generation" and before...so, now, the Baby Boomers think that "Love Me Tender" is original and Elvis concocted it, originated it, and was the mastermind behind it. Not so. Don't like Elvis in the least; he just performed a reworded tune.
BigBingFan 1 year ago
@BigBingFan You only assume everyone knows "O Sole Mio" & that's all it can be an assumption. I'm sure there are people that believe "Love Me Tender" is an original, they'd be right about the lyric just not the medley. It was & is very common to take and reshape what has been, we don't all like it, but it happens. Elvis simply sang a Ballad that was re-written by Composer Ken Darby. I like Elvis' music, he was a great singer. We can't always agree but I do agree with your generations comment.
Burner1966 1 year ago
@Burner1966
"Stolen" in the musical context, means, a bastardizing of the original. What's to improve on, say, "White Christmas?" Why not change the words? I'm saying this and will leave it at this: Elvis "borrowed" the composition, which was not "his" as his adherants believe, that he originated, formulated and was the godfather of all music, because they are of the same generation. The present generations have nothing musically at all, on the previous generations. 'Twas much better then
BigBingFan 1 year ago
Actually Elvis made the Elvis but it sounds better from Jim Reeves but people do still know it because its a warm up in choir all the time.
steven573573 1 year ago
he stole tht song from elvis
milesmir 1 year ago
does anyone know the meaning of this song?
CocoJuice55 1 year ago
@CocoJuice55 I'm guessing its about a man singing about the girl of his dreams
Galygal77 1 year ago
Aura Lee was a song popular during the Amrican Civll War 1861-1865
AceCokeBuster 1 year ago
Yes, this is the original song and title, i don't like Elvis version very pitty.
buddyeagle 1 year ago
civil war song "Aura Lee"
skwrrl70 1 year ago
I played this on piano a long time ago... like... when I was seven, and when I heard this song playing, I started to sing along with it. I miss it so much! And "Love me Tender" also is good; i didn't realize they had the same melody till I heard it on a school CD--about ten minutes ago.
<3 Aura Lee
XevenzGeiBook 1 year ago
OMG.....Aura Lee is a MARY SUE
JK, this is a beautiful song and I used to play it all the time on the recorder
MetroidNox 1 year ago
Elvis copied everything.lol
slicknicknirvana 1 year ago
I never knew Elvis adapted this for Love Me Tender until I found its a song in one of the Brain Training games!
grimTales1 1 year ago
@grimTales1 yeah, aura lee is an old public domain song....no one owns it anymore. Another example is John Lennons "Happy Christmas, War is over"....it was directly taken from the old folk song "Stew Ball"
inkey2 1 year ago
@inkey2 I didnt know that about Lennon's "Happy Christmas.." I thought he wrote the music for that! Interesting.
grimTales1 1 year ago
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OameGver 1 year ago
this is the first song i learned on acoustic guitar by myself that i wanted my dad to hear me play but someone smashed my guitar it was one of my dads favorite songs.
stansangel1969 1 year ago
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stansangel1969 1 year ago
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stansangel1969 1 year ago
Ick!!!
emmettfan17 1 year ago
this is the first known recording to have been recorded and it was recorded in 1860 i was born in 1897 and im really old and this brings back happy memories
andyandrews55 1 year ago
@andyandrews55 the original
andyandrews55 1 year ago
yes this song is very oldi am singint it in my choir and back then it did not have the tune that i am using now great song
dylant200 1 year ago
best song ever
iamPeligroso6 1 year ago
They don't make dirty songs like they used to. Aura Lee is somewhat subtle, and although is dirty, is wonderful to hear.
Nowadays dirty songs are unartistic, but funnier than hell.
scottycanes 1 year ago
Bonnie Blue!
sparkyization 2 years ago
im in a play where i get to sing this song heheheh!
killburn24 2 years ago
Let's give great credit to Steven Foster for the original "Aura Lee". It was also a great barbershop quartet piece .
alexjay318 2 years ago
According to Wikipedia, it was written by W. W. Fosdick and George R. Poulton, but it does have a Foster-esque sound to it.
oldwhtman 2 years ago
lol im singing that at school !
akikorie1 2 years ago
omfg omfg im ganna solo this omg im scared but this song so beautiful 5 stars!!!
cokeacola159 2 years ago 2
Nice.....
Classic and old song but still nice
Nat2370 2 years ago 16
I guess that this was a song writen in the late 1800's. Elvis then later did love me tender in I think 1956. I think that, that is neat. I love the old stuff. Thank you. :)
Andante100 2 years ago 7
sounds like orally lol
sunshinedancer84 3 years ago 3
were singing this for choir too :/
Spart117cdc 3 years ago 2
We're singing this in my chorus. :] It's so pretty. :D
Emmynemm 3 years ago
same...what schoool do u go to lol
blackzero141 3 years ago
Sequoia Charter in Arizona.
Emmynemm 3 years ago
o for me its tulsa,oklahoma
blackzero141 3 years ago
i can play this on guitar
Cybagruff1 3 years ago
beautiful song! Although I couldn't help but notice how it sings of "Aura Lee" - "orally" which might be a little subliminally suggestive if you think about it
omgaplane 3 years ago
It's true. But theres's more.
"Maid of golden hair," might have something to do with it...
"Sunshine CAME along with thee, and SWALLOWS in the air." Two words that should never be used near each other.
"ON HER CHEEK the rose was born...IN HER EYES the rays of morn with sudden splendor break." Now it's just plain obvious. Call me immature, but it's pretty hard to deny. Plus with all the censors back in the day, this is a devilishly clever way to slip suggestive things past them... =)
powerpc127 3 years ago
It also shares the melody to Love me Tender, if you need any further proof.
powerpc127 3 years ago
this is an old civil war sing, no music media=no music censors, if they wanted a song about bj's theyd make a song about bj's, im sure there were dirtier songs back then
bribahf 3 years ago
I love this song cuz my name is Aurora Lee!
Hippiespice 3 years ago
i hav 2 sing diz song 4 all-state chorus auditions!!!! im nervous
narutofreak774 3 years ago
don b
Huffnhustle 3 years ago
o ok ty but ya wen i got in2 the building i wasn't nervous at all i made 4 ranking in the tenor section but i also can sing soprano 1st
narutofreak774 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
shit
federicotak 3 years ago
The joy of experiencing a really classic performance more than makes up for the quality!
dm5401 3 years ago
such a beautiful voice...
Cuttie607 3 years ago
This is a a beautiful illustration of what was so deeply wrong with David Archuleta's American Idol performance of "Love Me Tender." Reeves understood and respected the beauty of the original melody, and stuck with it all the way through.
dkfrey 3 years ago
My a capella group is gonna do this song mashed-up with Love Me Tender. We're going to do a couple of Aura Lee's verses and then do Love Me Tender as a kicker.
Veggieman87 4 years ago
ooh do you think you put it up on youtube?
takemyhandd 3 years ago
We could, but we'd need to get someone to record and put it up. It can be done. I'll let you know.
Veggieman87 3 years ago
I can play this on my tuba!
Bobmarleyxx2 4 years ago
Aura Lee -is- the original vocal version of this melody, & it was written during the Civil War. I don't have the info at hand, but I believe the "Love Me Tender" verses were written for the Elvis version. Either way, 1st time I've heard the original, & I love Jim Reeves-Thanks!
Donkey9900 4 years ago
Jim Reeves Rules
whispperson 4 years ago 3
I'm singing this song in choir (Voice class)
minustheirony 4 years ago
i play this in band if u want maby i can get a video of me playing it on my trumpet ok?
winter105 4 years ago
I`d been looking for this for a lot of time,
Thank you so much for the video
Its a great song
Pitutano 4 years ago
ok, im crying now
i had a record of this when i was very little and ever so ofden id spend hours on the internet trying to find the mp3
xdeliriumgirlx 4 years ago 22
this is a really good song
truk44 4 years ago
Another rare Jim Reeves gem. Many thanks.
Doubleyoutee 4 years ago
WOW
graham1281 4 years ago
Great find. Thank you for sharing.
Gentleman Jim was and still is the man after all these years...
JimReevesFan 4 years ago
I am feeling as if I had just found a diamond ! Thanks a lot ! Have you got more ?
Gudule49 4 years ago