American Without Tears

robertchao · Post by **robertchao** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:17 pm

What is this song about? It seems to be about people who fell in love during WWii. But why does the narrator sing about New Orleans?

double dutchess · Post by **double dutchess** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:39 am

In the liner notes to the recent edition of "King of America" Elvis wrote about meeting two English ladies in New Orleans who had been WWII brides, and they inspired the song.

When he played it at Wolf Trap in July 2005, I thought my head was going to explode from pure joy.

Did he ever explain the twilight version? I think I love that one even more.

LessThanZero · Post by **LessThanZero** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:18 pm

I very much prefer the other version.

thepopeofpop · Post by **thepopeofpop** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 7:12 am

double dutchess wrote:
Did he ever explain the twilight version? I think I love that one even more.

It's meant to be the "sequel" to the original song - what happens to one of the women (and the GI she married) in the first song later in her life - just in EC's imagination of course. The giveaway is the last few lines:

"It was the story of a young English poppet
Who took up with a soldier boy and thought she would profit
Just like me she found out what true love is about
But anyway she's in New Orleans - it would never work out"

One of my fave EC moments ever - although that very last line is mysterious. Does he mean he fell in love with this woman?

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 2:07 pm

Elvis writes -

http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... php?t=3590

"American Without Tears": Most of this is a true story, though I confess I moved the terrible lounge pianist known as "a cocktail murderess" from a bar in Las Vegas to the same town as the lovely GI brides.

http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... php?t=3473

..............we went on to cut "American Without Tears".
This song was based on a chance meeting with a couple of former G.I. brides during a tour of Florida. They had volunteered their stories while I was drinking at an adjacent table. Of course the names and locations were changed and I added in a little of my own family history but it stayed pretty true to their tale of exile and escape.

ReadyToHearTheWorst · Post by **ReadyToHearTheWorst** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 2:42 pm

A bit of extra detail, the reference to a bicycle factory (and Robin Hood, of course) locate at least one of the girls in Nottingham, England (home of Raleigh cycles).

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 2:59 pm

I've always liked the KOA version best.

pophead2k · Post by **pophead2k** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 3:13 pm

I was just pleased to hear the word 'Idaho' in an Elvis song.

double dutchess · Post by **double dutchess** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 8:10 pm

This song was based on a chance meeting with a couple of former G.I. brides during a tour of Florida.

Whoops, Florida, my bad.

Does he mean he fell in love with this woman?

I always assumed he was singing from the point of view of an ex-husband of one of the ladies. But I never understood why the main character of the song was in Cuba.

Incidentally, while I was travelling last summer I had a layover at the airport in Atlanta, so I bought a copy of the Atlanta Constitution. There was an article about GI Brides, which I probably would not have appreciated had I not been such a fan of these songs.

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 8:32 pm

You guys know how I feel about KOA and this has always been one of my all time favorite EC songs. I absolutely adore the lyrics, the music, just everything. I never get tired of hearing it. I only know what I have read from the KOA liner notes and many of those things have already been mentioned here.

thepopeofpop · Post by **thepopeofpop** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 11:01 pm

double dutchess wrote:
Does he mean he fell in love with this woman?
I always assumed he was singing from the point of view of an ex-husband of one of the ladies. But I never understood why the main character of the song was in Cuba.

Ah, the famous "Costello Perspective Shift Trick". I should have seen that coming. (I wasn't suggesting that he fell in love in any serious way, BTW, just a passing fancy).

Since the original song is about exiles of one sort or another, I guess Cuba is just another example of that.

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:09 pm

ReadyToHearTheWorst wrote:A bit of extra detail, the reference to a bicycle factory (and Robin Hood, of course) locate at least one of the girls in Nottingham, England (home of Raleigh cycles).

And hence the chat up line of "I'm the Sheriff of Nottingham and this is Little John".

Mikeh · Post by **Mikeh** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 5:20 am

I saw EC live in 1986 in a solo show in London (The Royalty) and he sang American Without Tears then told a story about what happens if you write a song and halfway through the song the main character very rudely gets up and leaves. He then went into the twilight version.