August 16, 2012
No. 8: "Love Me Tender" Based on melody of the Civil War-era tune "Aura Lee," "Love Me Tender" was performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in September 1956, about a month before its companion "Love Me Tender" movie was released. Advance orders flooded in, and the single went gold even before its release. It ranked No. 444 on on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. *** Elvis Presley performs in New York City July 1, 1956, on "The Steve Allen Show."
