Burning Love

"Burning Love" is a 1972 song by Elvis Presley, written by Dennis Linde, originally released by Arthur Alexander earlier in 1972. Presley found major success with the song, it becoming his final Top 10 hit in the American Hot 100 or pop charts, peaking at number 2 (it was kept out of the top spot by Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Ling").

Elvis Presley version
Elvis Presley's version was released as a single on August 1, 1972, with the B-side "It's a Matter of Time", and it reached number 36 in the country charts. Elvis had recorded it at RCA's Hollywood studios on March 28, 1972. It was his last big hit. The electric guitar opening and riffs were overdubbed and played by Dennis Linde himself.

For the week of October 28, 1972, "Burning Love" rose to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached number 1 on Cashbox's Top 40 Charts for the week of November 11. The song was Elvis's 40th and final Top Ten hit on the Billboard US charts.

He performed it in at least two high-profile productions: the concert film Elvis on Tour (during which he had to use a lyric sheet as the song was still new to him), and the later Aloha from Hawaii concert. Despite its popularity among his fans, he rarely performed the song live, the exception being in 1975 when it was included in his setlist during the majority of the year’s performances, both in Las Vegas and on the road.

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 subtitle, the only actual hit on the album was the title song.

A new backing track for the song was recorded in 1980, intended for the Guitar Man album. It went unreleased until 2000. In 2015, a new orchestral arrangement for the song was recorded accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and was released on album If I Can Dream.

Personnel

 * Elvis Presley – lead vocals
 * James Burton, Dennis Linde – guitar
 * John Wilkinson – rhythm guitar
 * Emory Gordy Jr. – bass
 * Glen D. Hardin – piano
 * Ronnie Tutt – drums
 * J. D. Sumner & the Stamps – backing vocals
 * Jerry Carrigan – percussion, cowbell

1980 version

 * Elvis Presley – lead vocals
 * Jerry Shook – guitar
 * Larry Byrom – electric guitar
 * Mike Leech – bass
 * Larrie Londin – drums
 * David Briggs – piano

Uses

 * The song was recorded for the 1979 film, Elvis The Movie, starring Kurt Russell and Ronnie McDowell as the singing voice of Elvis. The song was not released for a soundtrack.


 * Wynonna Judd's version of "Burning Love" is the closing song of Lilo & Stitch (2002). The song itself would later play a role in an episode of Lilo & Stitch: The Series, with main character Lilo Pelekai naming a hummingbird-like love-inducing experiment, "Hunkahunka".


 * The song was used during the Miss Universe 2010 swimsuit competition, where Ximena Navarrete from México won the title.


 * A remix was made for the Cirque du Soleil show Viva Elvis, which began in 2010, and found on its soundtrack. During the live show, it is played during a montage of Elvis's best love scenes on the rear-projection screen, while the band has a spotlight. This remix puts more emphasis on drums and guitars, with a sound similar to The Who.


 * The song was used in the 2011 video game Homefront in the mission "Night Raid" where members of the American Resistance launch white phosphorus on soldiers of the Korean People's Army.


 * The song is one of six possible soundtracks on the Disney California Adventure attraction Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!, which opened in 2017.


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


 * The song was frequently used by comedian Conan O'Brien to warm up his audience prior to taping his talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien, with the host singing the lyrics with musical accompaniment by the house band.


 * Various films and television series have included performances of and references to the song, including The Golden Girls (1988), The Simpsons (2001), The Game Plan, Crazy Love (2007), Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009), The Newsroom, New Girl, The Mistle-Tones (2012), Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014), Fuller House (2016), Avengers: Infinity War, Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), The Boogeyman (2023) and Agent Elvis (2023).


 * Presley's recording was used in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 Presley biopic Elvis, and is featured on its soundtrack.