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Steamroller Blues

Words & Music by James Taylor

I'm a steamroller baby
I'm 'bout to roll all over you
I'm a steamroller baby
I'm 'bout to roll all over you
I'm gonna inject your soul
With sweet rock'n'roll, poor heaven

I'm a cement mixer
A churning urn of burning funk
I'm a cement mixer
A churning urn of burning funk
A hefty hunk, steaming junk

I'm a steamroller baby
I'm 'bout to roll over you
I'm a steamroller baby
I'm 'bout to roll over you
I'm gonna inject your soul
With some sweet rock'n'roll
And shoot you full of rhythm and blues

I'm a napalm-bomb
Guaranteed to blow your mind
I'm a napalm-bomb
Guaranteed to blow your mind
If I can't have your love now baby
There won't be nothing left behind

Recorded: 1973/01/14, first released on Aloha From Hawaii

Elvis Presley makes television and entertainment history with his Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii - Via Satellite special. Performed at the Honolulu International Center Arena on January 14, 1973, broadcast live at 12:30 AM Hawaiian time, beamed via Globecam Satellite to Australia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, South Vietnam and other countries. It is seen on a delayed basis in around thirty European countries. A tape of the show will be seen in America on April 4th on NBC. The live broadcast in January attracts 37.8% of the viewers in Japan, 91.8% in the Philippines, 70% in Hong Kong, and 70-80% of the viewers in Korea. The April showing in America will attract 51% of the television viewing audience, and will be seen in more American households than man’s first walk on the moon. In all, it will be seen in about forty countries by one billion to 1.5 billion people. Elvis commissions an American Eagle design for his jumpsuit for this show, his patriotic message to his worldwide audience. Never has one performer held the world’s attention in such a way. Elvis is in top form physically and vocally. This is probably the pinnacle of his superstardom, one of the all-time great moments of his career. Elvis was very, very nervous at first. Nobody else had ever done a satellite show before.

He was the very first entertainer, ever, to do a satellite show.

It was very expansive to rent the satellite for one hour, so Colonel Parker went to NBC, because they owned the satellite, actually it was their recording company. So they cut the deal and it was the first one ever.

Elvis was a nervous wreck. But as he went along rehearsing, and enjoying Hawaii, he became very comfortable with it. The thing about it, when you go on a satellite show, you go on stage at a certain time and you got to get off at a certain time, otherwise they will just cut you off, the satellite will cut you off after one hour. So the hardest part that Elvis was worried about, was to time it right.

But as we all know it went along perfectly. Joe Esposito was at the side of the stage while Elvis was performing with a flashlight and about ten minutes before the end time, he flashed the light to let Elvis know he had ten minutes left. It was an unbelievable performance, it was all for charity, and he was very comfortable when he walked on stage. He did a great job, looked fabulous. Can we ask for more?

A great singer, in a great location, great music and its now part of history.

12 Jan 8.30pm International Centre, Honolulu, Hi
14 Jan 0.30am International Centre, Honolulu, Hi

Audience tickets for the January 14 concert and its January 12 pre-broadcast rehearsal show carry no price. Each audience member is asked to pay whatever he or she can. The performances and concert merchandise sales are a benefit raising $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund in Hawaii. (Kui Lee was a Hawaiian composer who had died of cancer while still in his thirties.)

Read more about the Aloha Special, including an interview with show director, Marty Pasetta .

Also Sprach Zarathrusta - See See Rider - Burning Love - Something - You Gave Me A Mountain - Steamroller Blues - My Way - Love Me - Johnny B. Goode - It's Over - Blue Suede Shoes - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - I Can't Stop Loving You - Hound Dog - What Now My Love - Fever - Welcome To My World - Suspicious Minds - Introductions by Elvis - I'll Remember You - Long Tall Sally / Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On - An American Trilogy - A Big Hunk O' Love - Can't Help Falling In Love