About the song
Elvis Presley and Crying In The Chapel. A fascinating intersection, wouldn’t you agree? The year is 1953, a mere wisp of a time before the world would be irrevocably shaken by the arrival of “The King” himself.
Rock and roll was still brewing in its nascent form, a potent concoction of rhythm and blues, gospel, and country music. This was the landscape Presley emerged from, a young man with a voice that could melt glaciers and a charisma that could turn a church pew into a dance floor.
---> Scroll down for the VIDEO
Crying In The Chapel itself wasn’t a Presley original. It was penned by Artie Glenn and first recorded by his son, Darrell Glenn, that same year. It reached a respectable number six on the Billboard charts, a testament to the song’s inherent charm. But when a young Elvis got his hands on it, well, that’s when things got truly interesting.
There’s a beautiful tension in this piece, a push and pull between the sacred and the secular that perfectly captures the youthful Presley. The lyrics themselves paint a picture of spiritual awakening.
The narrator finds himself crying in the chapel, not out of sorrow, but out of a newfound joy and connection with the divine. “I know the meaning of content now, I’m happy with the Lord,” he sings, his voice brimming with a wide-eyed sincerity.
But listen closely, and you can also hear the echo of that soon-to-be-famous Presley swagger. The rhythm section, even in this early recording, has a subtle bounce to it. The melody, though undeniably rooted in gospel tradition, hints at the playful, almost mischievous side of Presley that would become his trademark.
This is where the magic lies. Crying In The Chapel is a bridge between two worlds. It’s a gospel song sung by a soon-to-be rock and roll icon. It’s a testament to faith delivered with an undeniable dose of Presley’s youthful energy.
It’s a quiet song that somehow manages to feel electric. And that, my friends, is why Crying In The Chapel remains a fascinating and enduring piece of American music history. It’s a song that captures a pivotal moment, a moment before a cultural earthquake, and a moment when a young Elvis Presley stood poised to take the world by storm.