In addition to enjoying his early 1960’s hits “Seven Little Girls Sitting In The Back Seat” (#5, 1959), “Midnite Special” (#14, 1960) and “Happy-Go-Lucky Me” (#8, 1960), we have covered his late ‘60’s anthem “Happiness Is” as well as his most recent Christmas novelty classic “Santa’s Stuck Up In The Chimney.”
And, in addition to his own hits, Paul wrote the Top 40 Hit “Worried Guy” for Johnny Tillotson, the Top 10 Hit “When” for the Kalin Twins and “Roses Are Red,” a #1 Hit for Bobby Vinton.
After we heard “Happy-Go-Lucky Me” featured in the new Hulu television series 11.22.63, we decided to contact Paul and see how things were going.
The timing couldn’t have been better … as that very same week NBC aired the “All-Star Tribute To Elvis Presley.”
What’s the significance there, you might ask?
Well, Paul Evans also has the distinct honor of having FOUR of his songs recorded by Elvis Presley over the years!
The first big break came in 1960 when Elvis cut “I Gotta Know,” a #20 hit on its own when it was included as the B-Side to Elvis’ chart-topping single “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”
That record topped the national charts for six weeks and, as such, “I Gotta Know” also became a million seller.
Evans placed another Top 40 Hit with The King in 1970 when “The Next Step Is Love” became a #14 hit when it was paired with “I’ve Lost You.” (His other two other Elvis songs??? “Blue River,” #95, 1966 and the B-Side to the Top 20 Hit “Tell Me Why” and “Something Blue,” which was never released as a single but appeared on Elvis’ “Pot Luck” album.)
At the time of Elvis’ death, Paul had a couple of other songs placed with The King that were commissioned but never recorded, including a track called “Quiet Desperation” that Paul says was based on a quote from Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden,” which “would have made a spectacular Elvis record.
So we seized the opportunity to talk some about this, too.
Kent Kotal / Forgotten Hits: Hi Paul! We decided to check out the new Hulu original tv series 11.22.63 on Sunday afternoon and were pleased to hear "Happy Go Lucky Me" on the very first episode! In fact, I looked at my wife and said, "Hey, that's my buddy Paul Evans!!!"
With your wide catalog of work, I'm sure you're still finding plenty of opportunities to place your music in period pieces such as this ... commercial usage ... movies ... etc. ... and with the recent success of your very popular seasonal hit, “Santa’s Stuck Up In The Chimney,” it's gotta make you feel great that your career has meant so much to so many people. Without question, music is the gift that keeps on giving. So I just wanted to take a moment to say “Thank you for the music!”
Paul Evans: Hi Kent, I must admit that hearing my songs in movies, commercials, or TV shows gives me great satisfaction. Makes me smile. (Also, the monetary rewards don’t make me frown. :-)
And of course you’re correct that knowing that my songs made lots of people happy doesn’t hurt either. I once received an email from someone who told me that I had been a member of his family for the past thirty years. Nice!
And of course you’re correct that knowing that my songs made lots of people happy doesn’t hurt either. I once received an email from someone who told me that I had been a member of his family for the past thirty years. Nice!
kk: With the recent comments about the Elvis 50th Anniversary Tribute the other night, I was thinking that you might have a story or two to tell about The King, having written a couple of his hits. Did you watch the special? What did you think of it?
PE: Yes, I watched it ... but I must admit, befitting my age, I longed to hear Elvis’ versions. Most of the singing was just fine, but it wasn’t Elvis. I missed his unique vocal excitement that propelled me towards the music biz in the first place.
kk: I thought that the bit with Mac Davis was interesting because of all the people there, he was the only one (other than producer Steve Binder, Priscilla and Lisa Marie, of course) to ever have had direct contact with Elvis.
PE: I definitely agree. It would have been fun to see more of the people that “were there.” Mac did great, by the way.
kk: What did it feel like the first time you heard that Elvis was going to record one of your songs?
PE: Heaven. I was told by Freddy Bienstock at Elvis’ publishing company - Hill and Range - that they were going to show “I Gotta Know" to Cliff Richard but that would mean that Elvis wouldn’t cut it because he would never record a “cover”. I begged Freddy to just go with Elvis. What I didn’t know was that Cliff had already cut the song. But apparently Elvis’ people didn’t know about it and Elvis recorded and released it anyway. By the way, although “I Gotta Know" peaked at #20 on the Billboard charts, it was released as the “B” side to “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” … not a bad first Elvis for me. :-)
kk: Elvis came back to the well a few more times for Paul Evans material ... did you ever get to meet the King? And, if so, what did he tell you about your tunes and what they meant to him?
PE: I was in Nashville when he was cutting and I knew his producer, Felton Jarvis, but even Felton couldn’t get me past the tight security. So close, yet so far away.
kk: With the benefit of 50 - 60 years' hindsight, how much more does that mean to you now, knowing that of the select amount of material Elvis recorded, some of these were tunes that you had written?
PE: Oh yeah ... I was proud when “I Gotta Know” was released. Elvis cut my song! It made me feel like a real writer. And looking back at my writing career, “Roses Are Red (My Love)", “When”, “Happy Go Lucky Me”, etc., Elvis’ recordings of three other of my songs still sends a tickle up and down my spine.
kk: How was your material pitched to the King? Did you have to partake in the royalty split ensuring that Elvis and The Colonel got a piece of the action as so many other songwriters had to contend with? And, if so, how did that make you feel at the time? And even today, all these years later?
PE: I managed to hold on to three of my four songs by hiding away when I knew that Elvis had cut a song of mine. And here’s something that I’m proud of: When Hill and Range’s lawyer shoved a paper in my face assigned a piece of my future songs to Elvis and threatened that if I didn’t sign it I’d never get another Elvis recording, we went into Freddy Bienstock’s office and I told Freddy about his lawyer’s threats. I reminded him that he had promised that I wouldn’t have to “give back”. (I don’t remember why he promised it - but he did.)
“I promised you zis?” Freddy said with his thick accent.
“Yes you did”.
“Zis man," Freddy told the lawyer, “does not have to sign that paper.”
It wasn’t long after that Hill and Range stopped taking pieces back from writers.
kk: Good for you! (I’ve got a hunch you’re one of a select few who can make that claim!) And so happy to see that your music is still finding an audience today, some 50 – 60 years later. That’s the measurement of a good tune!
PE: I’m now reaping the rewards of my old hits - the hits that keep giving via commercials, TV shows and movies.
kk: Thanks, Paul!
PE: It was so my pleasure. Continued success, Kent, with your site. You’ve definitely got to be one of the hardest working men in showbiz.
PE: It was so my pleasure. Continued success, Kent, with your site. You’ve definitely got to be one of the hardest working men in showbiz.
Your buddy, Paul
For more on the Paul Evans / Elvis Presley connection, check out this link:
https://paulevans.com/elvis.htm
https://paulevans.com/elvis.htm
