Burning Love

"Burning Love" is a song written by Dennis Linde and made famous by Elvis Presley. Elvis recorded it at RCA's Hollywood studios on March 28, 1972.

The song was first recorded by Arthur Alexander, who included it on his self-titled 1971 album.

Presley's version would be released as a single on August 1, 1972, with B-side "It's a Matter of Time".

For the weeks of October 21 and 28, 1972, "Burning Love" rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was Elvis's 40th and last Top Ten hit on the US charts. It was also one of the last real rock songs in the last years of his life; from 1972-1977 the majority of his songs were ballads, and many of those placed on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. "Burning Love" was one of the few exceptions, along with "Promised Land" in 1974. Indeed Elvis never wanted to record the song and only did so to appease his session musicians who repeatedly begged him to do so.

The song was also released on an album titled Burning Love and hits from his movies volume 2 on November 1, 1972. Despite this album's sub title, none of the movie songs on it were ever hits. The only actual hit on the album was the title song, "Burning Love".

In 2005, an Australian woman stabbed her partner in the back, thigh, and shoulder with a pair of scissors because "he played the song too many times". His injuries were classified as "non-life threatening."[1]

Burning Love was used as a wake-up song on the space shuttle mission STS-123.

[edit] Cover versions of "Burning Love"

Though she has never recorded it, Dolly Parton has often included "Burning Love" in her concert set lists, from the mid 1970s on.

In 2002, Wynonna performed the song for the film Lilo & Stitch, it plays over the closing credits.

In September 2006 a remix of the song was recorded by Mocean Worker (MoWo) for an advert for Honda C-RV.

A Gene Summers cover version of "Burning Love" was included on the double album "Juke-Box Rock 'n Roll" issued by EMI/Big Beat (#1597671) in France in 1988.

Others to cover the song include Eric Sardinas, Doctor and the Medics, Wynonna Judd, Killdozer and Melissa Etheridge.

[edit] References to "Burning Love" in other media

In the 1988 film The Great Outdoors, one character remarks he would rather see an Elvis impersonator belting out Burning Love than join the scheduled activities.
In Grand Theft Auto 2, Elvis impersonators quote the last line of the song, "I'm a hunka hunka burning love".
The Winamp website makes frequent references to Elvis, including currently (as of 2006) "Click here for a hunka hunka burning videos".
In the film Jerry and Tom (1998) the character named Vic says "hunka hunka burning love" in order to suggest that he had in fact killed Elvis Presley.
On The Golden Girls, characters Rose Nylund and Blanche Devereaux were charter members of their local "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love Fan Club."
"A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love" is the 273rd episode of The Simpsons, guest-starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
In the video game Clayfighters for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, on the home level of Elvis impersonator Blue Suede Goo, the words "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Clay" can be seen in the background."
WWE wrestler The Honky Tonk Man (who portrayed an Elvis impersonator) used an entrance song entitled "Hunka Hunka Honky Love" from 1990-1991.
The song appears along with other Elvis hits in Stern's "Elvis" pinball machine.