One-sided Love Affair
1956 single by Elvis Presley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"One Sided Love Affair" (or "One-sided Love Affair") is a song by Elvis Presley from his 1956 debut album, Elvis Presley.[1][2]
| "One Sided Love Affair" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Elvis Presley | ||||
| from the album Elvis Presley | ||||
| A-side |
| |||
| Released | August 1956 | |||
| Recorded | January 30, 1956 | |||
| Genre | Rockabilly, rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:09 | |||
| Songwriter | Bill Campbell | |||
| Elvis Presley singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Later, in August in the same year (1956) it was also released as a single,[2] with "Money Honey" on the flip side.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Writing and recording history
The song (both the words and the music) was written by Bill Campbell.[13][14]
Presley recorded the song on January 30, 1956, at the RCA Studio in New York.[15][1]
There were six songs handpicked by A&R person Steve Sholes himself for Presley to record for his first album at the sessions, but "One-sided Love Affair" was the only one Presley liked and recorded.[16][14]
In a March 24, 1956 interview, the song was cited by Presley as his favorite from the album.[17]
Musical style and lyrics
The book Song & Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan note Presley's cynicism in the song, whose lyrics go:[13]
If you wanna be loved,
baby you gotta love me too
'Cos I ain't for no one-sided love affair:
Well a fair exchange ain't no robbery
An' the whole world knows that it's true ...[13]
The book The Art of Songwriting calls the song itself (its music and words) "unexceptional", but praises Presley's performance and the eventual result.[14] The book Elvis Presley, Reluctant Rebel: His Life and Our Times describes "One-sided Love Affair" as a "rollicking" number, a "boogie-woogie polished to a pop gleam and without the barrelhouse danger, a concept already familiar in the swing era."[18]
Track listings
Singles
7" single (1956)[19]
- "Money Honey" (2:32)
- "One Sided Love Affair" (2:10)
10" shellac single (RCa 20 6641, September 1956)[9]
- "Money Honey"
- "One Sided Love Affair"
10" shellac single (1956)[20]
- "Tutti Frutti" (2:32)
- "One Sided Love Affair" (2:10)
EPs
2-EP set Elvis Presley (EPB-1254, April 1956)[21]
Side 1
- "Blue Suede Shoes"
- "I'm Counting on You"
Side 2
- "Tutti Frutti"
- "Tryin' to Get to You"
Side 3
- "I Got a Woman"
- "One Sided Love Affair"
Side 4
- "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)"
- "I'll Never Let You Go"