Within hours of his arrival home, Elvis was in his father’s office in a wooden outbuilding on the thirteen-acre grounds of Graceland and gave another press conference.
During the press conference, Elvis confirmed that the first thing he needed to do was make some more records before heading to Florida to take part in the “Welcome Home Elvis” TV Special hosted by Frank Sinatra.
Elvis was asked about Priscilla and played down rumours of any romance, saying, “There were some stories made of her ‘The girl he left behind’ and so on, but it wasn’t like that really.”
Elvis also expressed that he was a little nervous about making his comeback. He did not know exactly what he would record at the time. Some rock ‘n’ roll would be included, but in truth, rock ‘n’ roll had lost its edge, becoming what would be described today as being more “poppy” in nature. Elvis was aware of this and, whilst singing at home in Germany, had been exercising his voice to extend his range and take on more challenging vocal material.
The first single released was “Stuck on You”, a mid-temp rock ‘n’ roll song in the style of 1957’s “All Shook Up”. But it was the next singles that had the biggest impact, “It’s Now or Never” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” highlighted Elvis’ developed voice. All three would be number 1 in the US. In the UK, “Stuck on You” peaked at number 3, whilst “It’s Now or Never” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” started a string run of four consecutive number 1 singles in the UK, which also included “Wooden Heart” and “Surrender”.
“It’s Now or Never” was an adaptation of the Italian opera song “O Sole Mio”. It would be Elvis’ biggest-selling single worldwide, selling over 20 million physical copies. It was also one of three Elvis singles that became double UK number 1 singles when re-released in 2005.
After completing recording sessions, including songs for the album “Elvis Is Back!”, Elvis once again travelled by train. This time to Miami, Florida, for the recording of the “Welcome Home Elvis” TV special hosted by Frank Sinatra, sponsored by Timex, on March 26, 1960.
Elvis appears at the start of the show wearing his dress uniform for a brief introduction that included Frank’s daughter, Nancy. In keeping with Timex being the sponsor of the show, other guest performers, including Sammy Davis Jnr, provide Elvis with interpretations of what he had missed whilst in Germany with the aid of a “time machine”.
When Elvis returns dressed in a tuxedo, he introduces the enthralled audience to one of his new ballads, “Fame and Fortune”, before romping through “Stuck on You”. Then Frank comes out to join him, and the two perform a duet with Sinatra singing “Love Me Tender” whilst Elvis sings “Witchcraft”. In total, Elvis is on screen for about eight minutes and is paid an unheard of $125,000, well exceeding the amount paid to Sinatra as host. The show was an enormous success, capturing a 41.5% share of the viewing audience when it was broadcast on May 12, 1960.
