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 1955 -" FORGOT To REMEMBER To FORGET ~ over 6 months on Billboards Charts.. (longer chart run than H Hotel/HoundDog/J.Rock !), "Shouldn't this be a Million Seller" (?)
 
REX
post May 9 2010, 09:30 PM
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REX
post May 9 2010, 09:58 PM
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Is a country song written by Stan Kesler and Charlie Feathers.

It was recorded at Sun Studio 11th July 1955 by Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and Johnny Bernero on drums,
and released on August 20, 1955 along with Mystery Train (Sun 223).

It was re-released by RCA Victor (#47-6357) in December 1955.

Scotty Moore's guitar had a Nashville steel guitar sound, and Black played a clip-clop rhythm.

Elvis sang a brooding vocal. This is the closest the trio came to a traditional country song while at Sun.

The song reached the Billboard national Country music chart #1 position by February 1956, and remained there for 5 weeks...

C&W Best Sellers chart for Two weeks

It was the first recording to make Elvis Presley a national known country music star.

The song remained on the country charts for 39 weeks



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REX
post May 9 2010, 10:00 PM
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(IMG:http://www.elvis-tkc.com/forums/uploads/1273232704/gallery_21960_29_74638.jpg)

LYRICS & MUSIC

(words & music by S. Kesler - C. Feathers)

I forgot to remember to forget her,
I can't seem to get her off my mind.
I thought I'd never miss her,
But I found out somehow
I think about her almost all the time.
The day she went away
I made myself a promise
That I'd soon forget we ever met.
But something sure is wrong,
'Cause I'm so blue and lonely.
I forgot to remember to forget.

The day she went away
I made myself a promise
That I'd soon forget we ever met,
Well, but something sure is wrong,
'Cause I'm so blue and lonely.
I forgot to remember to forget.


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REX
post May 9 2010, 10:00 PM
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Reactions (2008 ~ 2nd to None Album Release)
JLpResLey ~ Maybe not the best, but certainly one of the best sun tracks. It´s very charming and I like it a lot

JerryNodak ~ Great early SUN track from Elvis. He doesn't top it, but Johnny Cash also cut a fine version of this song while at SUN.

derekd ~ Five star +. Great lyrics, a gem, fabulous song, prefection, good backing, Elvis voice just fab, you could say i've always liked this recording. Never skipped.

Ton Bruins ~ Love this song ! Beautiful lyrics. One of Elvis' best early songs.

bajo ~ A reminder of why I became a fan in the first place! Wonderful track!

dgirl ~ One of The King's gems!

Natha ~ A fabulous recording from the early Sun days, recordings that give you that sunday feeling. Here the young Elvis shows his prowess in conveying he lyrics with so much heart that it sticks to your mind. Very often in the course of my life, when I realised I forgot to remember to forget, I recalled this song. That helped to ease the discomfort and made me smile again realising the folly of the mind.

Deke Rivers ~ One of the better one's to come from the "Sun" day's, Scotty is as good as ever !

Steve V ~ One of the great ones. No one can touch this song. Perfection.

Elvis Rimes ~ Very catchy song, great guitar and amazing vocals.

My boy, my boy Very nice track...Scotty's guitar parts are amazing...Elvis's singing sounds amazing and mature for a 20 year-old rookie !

old shep ~ A really good early Elvis track, showing the country side of Elvis and written by Charlie Feathers and Stan Kesler (Playing For Keeps).A song I never get tired of, I remember watching an interview with Charlie Feathers in the 1970s where Charlie said some good things about Elvis, and one bad thing," I never did get paid for that song"

REX ~ "H A U N T I N G" !


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REX
post May 9 2010, 10:09 PM
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(IMG:http://www.elvis-tkc.com/forums/uploads/1273232704/gallery_21960_29_1101407.jpg)

Mid - July 1955 "MEMPHIS" ~ probably just a few days after recording the S O N G ! ! !


FORGOT TO REMEMBER TO FORGET

This song was written by Stanley Kesler and Charlie Feathers in 1955.

Stan Kesler was a steel guitarist who eventually became a recording engineer working with artists like the group Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs, and later he became a member of the 1986 Sun Rhythm Section band. Charlie Feathers was a Sun Records artist who often worked with Mr. Kesler on his demos.

Elvis recorded the "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" on July 11, 1955 at Sun Studio.

Elvis and Scotty Moore played guitar.

Bill Black played the bass.

Johnny Bernero, whose regular job was working for Memphis Light Gas and Water, played the drums.

It was Mr. Bernero's drum work that helped to convince Elvis to record this song, one that he hadn't had much interest in before.

It was released as a single with "Mystery Train" as the flip side in August of 1955.

It became Elvis's first national #1 hit,
spending a total of 39 weeks on "Billboard" magazine's country chart
with 5 of those weeks at the #1 position.



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REX
post May 9 2010, 10:22 PM
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About ~ CHARLIE FEATHERS

Feathers began cutting demos of his own material, with the assistance of Stan Kesler, at the Sun Studios.

Charlie recorded his first demo session for Phillips on June 24th, 1955 resulting in four unknown titles that have since been lost, the tapes probably reused by Sam when dollars were sparse.

This decision to use tapes over again proved to be the fate for a great portion of Charlie's early work at Sun.

Luckily, at least a few of his demo recordings survived, notably his first rendition of "Bottle To The Baby", cut late in 1955
and a raw take of the Feathers/Kesler composition "I Forgot To Remember To Forget", originating from a previous date
(possibly the June session, as Presley recorded his version on July 11th).



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REX
post May 9 2010, 10:25 PM
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"..Feathers... continued
The circumstances surrounding the evolution of "I Forgot...", though, are far from clear.

Feathers himself claimed to have co-inked the song with Kesler, but Stan has since recounted that he wrote the song alone and gave fifty percent of the copyright to Charlie for singing the demo.

Feathers then elaborated further on his claim by stating that Kesler began working on the song, then passed it on to Charlie who completed the lyrics and formulated the arrangement that Elvis eventually used at his July recording date with the Blue Moon Boys.

What ever the real truth may be, BMI has recorded "I Forgot To Remember To Forget" as a Charlie Feathers and Stan Kesler composition.


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REX
post May 9 2010, 10:28 PM
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The Story of "I FORGOT TO REMEMBER TO FORGET":

by CHARLIE FEATHERS


I didn't start the song.

Stan Kesler came while we were working on a song "I've Been Deceived" where he played steel on.

He had a song called You Believe Everyone but Me" he wanted me to do and then take it up and try to get Elvis to do the song.

At that time he mentioned a song he had started "I Forgot to Remember to Forget."

There was something about that title I Liked and said 'Man, that title you mentioned on that song is great.'

I went over to his house the next day, and we got in there, and we played a little, and I teamed "You Believe," but that song didn't move me too well. So I said, Jefs: get in this thing here,

"I Forgot to Remember to Forget." We finished it up right there. I put the melody to it, and Stan put the biggest part of the words down.

I took it up, but Sam didn't think much of it, and it stayed up there two or three months until he finally recorded it, and it then turned out to be one of the best things he had done at the time.


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REX
post May 9 2010, 10:33 PM
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"Feathers" Remembers "Elvis" Recording It !

I was up there when they cut it, and Elvis wasn't doing it right.

He tried it several times, but Sam didn't think it was right.

So we went down town for lunch, came back and all the time I was sitting there; I'd hum the song; I was humming the song to Elvis, and I was showing him that he actually did the song wrong. He was doing the bridge in the song wrong.

I got out there and when he came to the bridge, I motioned at him, kinda indicated, and he did it that way, and Sam said, 'Without a doubt, that's it!' He liked it then, and that was it.

It won all kind of awards; it was the number one record at the time.

Elvis had never had one in the top ten at that time, so it was his first.

Also, "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" was the first million seller, but it was on Sun and RCA combined, you see.

They re-released it when he went to RCA because they didn't know how to record him;
they thought they had the wrong artist.

"I Forgot to Remember to Forget" was real big, and I've seen a check down there at Sun records for $2000, which rightly belonged to Stan Kesler and me. Stan might have got his, cause he stayed on there way after me, but I haven't seen one lousy cent yet !


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REX
post May 9 2010, 10:36 PM
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JOHNNY BERNERO
(Born 22 September 1931, Memphis, Tennessee ~ Died 28 July 2001, Fulton, Kentucky)

It was only discovered in the 1970s that the drummer on Elvis' later Sun recordings (Mystery Train, I Forgot To Remember To Forget, Trying To Get To You, When It Rains It Really Pours) was Johnny Bernero and not D.J. Fontana.

Because Bernero dropped out of Sun at an early stage, his contribution was long obscured.

Born and raised in Memphis, Bernero got involved in music through Smokey Joe Baugh. For a while he played in a dixieland / jazz band led by Jack Hale, which occasionally performed at the Peabody Hotel on Union Avenue.

During the day he worked at the Memphis Light Gas & Water company, which just happened to be right across the street from the Sun studios, and one thing led to another, he got to know Sam Phillips, and was soon playing on sessions (for Harold Jenkins, Barbara Pittman, Billy Riley, Warren Smith, Smokey Joe and of course Elvis).

He soon realised that a minuscule session fee did not equate to the earning potential of a hit record, and worked on Sam to allow him to record in his own name. This he did, but the tapes were consigned to a dusty corner of the Sun vaults and did not see the light of day until 1987, when "Bernero's Boogie" and "Rockin' at the Woodchoppers Ball" were finally released.

There is more than a tinge of western swing about these numbers.


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REX
post May 9 2010, 10:44 PM
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Might have been FORGOTTEN, Heavy Technical Details of TAPE # 16 !

I Forgot to Remember to Forget, Mystery Train and Trying to Get to You

(IMG:http://www.elvis-tkc.com/forums/uploads/1273232704/gallery_21960_29_13046.jpg)


There exists a fantastic original 15 ips SUN tape copy for the masters of the fifth and last SUN single I Forgot to Remember to Forget (C&W side) and Mystery Train (R&B side).

this tape was handed over by Sam in January 1956 and is therefore referred to as the 16th SUN Tape Box.

The tape was first used for the 50's Box, but has now been re-transferred flat by Sony with even better results in spite of the flat, original, unprocessed sound. This is partly due to better NAB calibration.

The new transfer of I Forgot to Remember has already found its way to two recent releases. First the 2003 upgrade of 'Great Country Songs' and later the same year it was used for 'Second to None'.

The introduction of noise-shaping when converting back to 1-bit DSD native after first converting to 8-bit PCM-narrow in the Sonoma environment to allow equalization isn't very impressive on either one of them, especially considering the result was aimed at 16 bit PCM only.

However, the slight above 10 kHz raise done by Sony for these two releases isn't considered out of place at all - it's right on target actually.

It's just the method that seems a little complicated. The distorted clipping of vocal peaks on 'Second to None' is simply devastating since this source has so much dynamic range.

The 'Great Country Songs' version was clipped as well, but not nearly as much.

The 'Elvis at SUN' version of I Forgot to Remember is a slight improvement with total absence of clipping being the only major audible difference compared to 'Great Country Songs'.


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REX
post May 9 2010, 10:49 PM
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BILLBOARD ~ 1st September 1955: - SUN Records "ADVERT" for 'Forget..'

(IMG:http://www.elvis-tkc.com/forums/uploads/1273232704/gallery_21960_29_63346.jpg)


Elvis didn't want to record this song because he thought it was too Country, so drummer Johnny Bernero from Memphis was added to the mix.

Up until this time there was only Scotty Moore on guitar, Bill Bass on bass and Elvis on rhythm guitar.

This added an uptempo beat - Elvis liked it and recorded the song, which became a Country hit.

In 1955 I was working at Radio Station KOEL, Oelwein, Iowa.

One day I took a phone call from a woman asking if the DJ could play "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" by Elvis Presley.

I had never heard of Elvis, and had trouble remembering his name and the name of the song.

So, I switched the woman's call directly to the DJ.

That was the first time I heard of Elvis. Shortly after that Elvis had his first #1 pop hit -- "Heartbreak Hotel".
Daniel Kortenkamp, Stevens Point, WI (- Daniel, Oelwein, IA)

A: Hi Lo Music BMI | U-156
B: Hi Lo Music BMI | U-157


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REX
post May 9 2010, 10:53 PM
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30th July 1955, Sun letter to Monarch (LA) about the Shipping details of SUN 223, Release date 1st August Onwards..

(IMG:http://www.elvis-tkc.com/forums/uploads/1273232704/gallery_21960_29_758736.jpg)


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REX
post May 10 2010, 12:53 PM
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BILLBOARD ~ 1st Weeks Chart for "I FORGOT TO REMEMBER TO FORGET" Radio DJ's CHART

(IMG:http://www.elvis-tkc.com/forums/uploads/1273232704/gallery_21960_29_51294.jpg)
21st SEPTEMBER 1955 (one of 3 charts, Store Sale-Jukebox Plays-Radio DJ Plays-Requests)




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NightRider
post May 10 2010, 02:24 PM
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Another exceptional song in the spotlight Rex. The amount of info and pics that you put together on these is astonishing. Wonderful (IMG:style_emoticons/default/notworthy.gif)


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You may think that its the breeze...whistling through the lonely trees..but its only him a flyin' round the bend...
as the day comes to an end.........

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REX
post May 10 2010, 07:49 PM
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QUOTE (NightRider @ May 10 2010, 03:24 PM) *
Another exceptional song in the spotlight Rex. The amount of info and pics that you put together on these is astonishing. Wonderful (IMG:style_emoticons/default/notworthy.gif)


Thankyou CHRIS.. and I still have a large file from BILLBOARD of week after week (39 weeks of Multiple different Charts)

for this Single.... at the end of all this posting... ...I think many will agree with CHARLIE FEATHERS

about this must be a MILLION SELLER and "GOLD DISC" Elvis has been cheated out of for 54 years.


(IMG:http://www.elvis-tkc.com/forums/uploads/1273603304/gallery_21960_29_254051.jpg)

Billboards 1st October 55 publication for Weekending 21 September Sales chart.

(IMG:http://www.elvis-tkc.com/forums/uploads/1273232704/gallery_21960_29_30087.jpg)

An Interesting BILLBOARD CHART for BEST SELLERS in Stores...
Elvis has been on this chart since August 1955 (sales up to 21 Sept: '55)


"CHARLIE FEATHERS! ~ I did help to write "I Forgot To Remember To Forget"
which was Elvis' first million seller.

Now, no one would admit that it was a million seller
in those days because RCA wanted to have the first million seller on him.

So Sam went along with it.

He didn't mind not having to pay people as much.

So "Heartbreak Hotel" is supposed to be Elvis' first million seller.

"I Forgot To Remember To Forget" was at the top of the charts for 43 weeks!

You mean to tell me that ain't a million seller? ? ?


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colonel snow
post May 10 2010, 08:16 PM
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I think it's not a million seller; in the Elvis' top year 1956 in the USA were sold about 100 million records (33-45-78 rpm); the share of Elvis was about 11 million in 1956.
I don't know the part of this song in the 11 million sales but I think it was not a million including the Sun sales from 1955.
That's my opinion based on the number of sales.

By the way>>> an excellent post!!


colonel snow


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Melanie
post May 10 2010, 10:10 PM
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Oh, la, la... Excellent post!


Applauses


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REX
post May 10 2010, 10:29 PM
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QUOTE (colonel snow @ May 10 2010, 09:16 PM) *
I think it's not a million seller; in the Elvis' top year 1956 in the USA were sold about 100 million records (33-45-78 rpm); the share of Elvis was about 11 million in 1956. I don't know the part of this song in the 11 million sales but I think it was not a million including the Sun sales from 1955.
That's my opinion based on the number of sales.

By the way>>> an excellent post!! colonel snow


Hi Colonel snow... great to have you in this topic.... (thanks Also MELANIE... just seen your nice comments....)
I'm leaning towards This is a Million Seller.... and Charlie Feathers is correct.. (but not yet 100% certain....) I'm comparing singles by other artists that became million sellers... do you have those details from August 1955 thru to December 1956 ?

Firstly I FORGOT TO REMEMBER TO FORGET, is in the Sales Charts for at least 39 weeks.
(and mostly in the Top 10 during that time)
while HEARTBREAK HOTEL is in the Sales charts for only 22 weeks (8 weeks at Number 1)

Hotel sold 2 million copies in at least 17 weeks less- the gold disc we see in pictures of Elvis for H.Hotel, was given to Elvis by RCA. ~ RIAA didn't start giving out Gold Discs until 1958.

I FORGOT TO REMEMBER TO FORGET HER was in the charts on SUN for around 15 weeks. Sun paid for a number of promotional adverts for this Disc.
actually they have more Square inches of promotion than RCA have.

RCA when they release it, have 14 more weeks of top 10 chart success... but in late December and part of January 56, you could find it on Sun or RCA
and both had reps pushing it for the Record Stores, Elvis is touring a lot, and Sam is ahead of the game, in getting distributors to get it stocked up in the areas Elvis is performing. RCA release it knowing its already selling well, and RCA Reps, hit all the areas more in the north, with promotions, what they paid Elvis for his contract, I would say FORGOT TO REMEMBER, probably easily covered that in sales, even before Heartbreak Hotel..

In the 3 promotional Areas... the 3 charts show this was a very Hot Single, for over 9 months, mostly at high positions in those charts.
I will show you all the charts, up to the 39th week.. it also sold as a gold standard issue.....

RCA have shown through the years very sloppy accounting... and for this single to be gold, why would they gather Sun's sales which probably equal the RCA sales.




This chart shows Elvis makes the JUKE BOX CHARTS on the same date as my previous chart for Sales. And was making inroads with copies on JukeBoxs nationwide, with enough copies out to hit the Chart by the 19th October...

It was getting millions of plays a month on Juke box's alone in November - december and January.

In 1956 around 44,000 juke boxs are available to customers, I'd say 90% would have carried this single - so 40,000 copies of Forget to Remember had to be bought for Juke Box's (I will post an article about USA juke boxs shortly)

The copies for DJs in the main don't count, as they are sent out by Sun or RCA... but not 100%. as we have reports of DJs in Canada driving south to buy up Rockabilly 45s to play on North of the border stations, and some shops in Canada, imported the USA releases for sale.

RCA would never give Elvis a gold disc for I FORGOT TO REMEMBER... for one thing would Sam really have given accurate pressing figures?
Then have to pay royalties to Elvis and the writters? and RCA would probably hide the true pressing figures also... as they wanted the 1st RCA Elvis single to be the big seller.. Ernest has looked at RCA Sales, but has never mentioned I FORGOT TO REMEMBER... paperwork must have existed someplace.

Its a great song.... and its got a bit of a MYSTERY About it... Also for Elvis its a Double "A" side, when the other artists, just have Single Side hits.

Its also a much more important song ~ this record plugs the gap, keeping Elvis in the charts for months, until RCA can record and get out Heartbreak Hotel.. it holds his place in the Music Business... doing a really great job... and apart from Live Concerts, he doesn't promote it on his TV appearances, which makes its success even more remarkable...


(more posts to follow soon.............)


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colonel snow
post May 11 2010, 10:40 AM
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Hello Rex

I don't have detailed information about records sales in 1955/1956 or other years. I was thinking to the part of the well known Elvis' million sellers in 1956 in the 11 million Elvis' record sales and it comes in my mind that for I forgot to remember to forget not much was left.


colonel snow


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