Elvis Presley - My Way (The Sherill Nielsen Duet) - 10 December 1975 - 10pm Show - Las Vegas

Despite an unsuccessful attempt to record the song in the studio on 10 May 1971, Elvis introduced the song to his live set list on his Las Vegas season opening show on 4 August 1972. Elvis had attempted three takes but was totally dissatisfied with the result during that RCA Studio B session in Nashville, so much so that it did not even advance to the post production stage. Instead, it was largely forgotten and it was not until twenty four years later, when it appeared on the box set “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” in September 1995, that it finally received an official public release.
After being introduced to the set list, it was performed regularly during that August 1972 season but it was not until 1976 that it became an integral part of the show. During the four years in between it was performed sporadically, and would often appear on a whim, usually only a few times a year. Testament to this is that in 1975 for example, it is only known to have been performed by Elvis just twice and both in December.
This example is the first of those, and here Elvis is performing the song for the first time in eighteen months. As a result, the band an orchestra are totally unprepared and something strange and fascinating occurs as a result.
Here is an eyewitness account from someone who was actually there that evening – John Andrews who wrote the following in Issue 242 of Elvis News Service Weekly released on 28 January 1976.
After performing Elvis said, “There was somebody at the back that requested, uh, 'My Way'..... I don't know if we got the chart, we haven't done it in quite a while.... if we can find it we'll do it for” (there was much activity by Charlie and others trying to see if the chart was around anywhere) “... yeah, my time is up, but here ladies and gentlemen, but uh...uh..... 'Little Sister', okay, we'll do, Little Sis, Little Sister, while we're looking for 'My Way', or 'My Way' while were looking for 'Little Sister', whatever one comes first as there appeared to be no sight of the lyrics”.
Elvis turned to Joe Guercio and asked “Uh, do you have any lyrics, Joseph?”, but, as he didn't Elvis attempted to start it, but forgot the lyrics after the first couple of lines, saying, “That's it, forget it.... now just a minute, wait a minute, wait...... (then to the light-man who had started to dim the lights for the song) .... hey, keep the lights up, don't get excited up there in the booth, just... you know... we, we don't, we, we, we don't have anything locked in there man, we just play it by ear (and with that he shoved the microphone into his ear much to everyone's great amusement, and Elvis' too). .... okay.”
Then he went over and stood in front of Sylvia who mouthed the words for him to sing as Charlie scuttled off stage left to try and get some words to the song. When he got to the line, and so I face the final curtain, he gave a really despairing look. At one stage, though, Sylvia couldn't remember the lyrics either, so Elvis chided her, “What?..... you don't even know it, either?” Charlie had by now re-appeared with, apparently, some words which Elvis tried to sing from, but then got lost, and whilst leaning on Sylvia, first asked Sherrill to sing it on his own, and then asked the rest of The Stamps to sing it with him, before deciding then to hit Sherrill with the notes Charlie had given to him. Eventually though, Elvis finished the song off......P-O-W-E-R-F-U-L-L-Y.
“Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to tell y'all, it's uh, you've been a fantastic audience, it's it's been a pleasure working for you and uh,.... I'll have a blue Christmas”.
It was just the way he surprised us all by singing this favourite amongst Elvis fans, Christmas or not, and as he continued the line to say, without you, he glanced in Charlie's direction. He nearly changed one of the lines of the song to, Decorations of red on a green purple, no Christmas tree. Just to complete the colour scheme he was handed some yellow puppets. Deservedly, this quietly and gently-sung song got a tremendous applause before Elvis went on to say in reply to someone who called out for You Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog,
“You're not, either..... nah, I'd like to say, uh, ladies and gentleman, that it's uh, great to be back working again and uh,..... wait a minute folks, really, you know, I can't do all them songs (which people were still calling out for) you know, just a heart with money in it, that's all. I think he said, continuing, uh, and it's great to be back working again and uh, I had about a three month lay-off and everybody's been really fantastic up on stage and the audiences have been really great, you know (big applause) ... and so... until the next time we see you, if we don't see you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we bid you an affectionate........ (grin at JD) ..... farewell”. And with that he again told us that, Wise men know, when it's time to go, as he went into 'Can't Help Falling In Love'