B-side "Little Sister" Genre Rock and roll, pop Label RCA Victor | Released August 8, 1961 Length 2:07 | |
Recorded June 26, 1961, RCA Studios, Nashville, Tennessee | ||
"(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" is a song recorded in a hit version by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music in 1961. It was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and originally recorded by Del Shannon on the album Runaway With Del Shannon, which was released in June 1961. The more famous and successful recording by Presley was released in August 1961. The relatively intense tune, featuring a Bo Diddley beat, performed well on both pop and easy listening stations, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart, based (at the time) on the Top 100. However, the single's Hot 100 chart run was atypical of a Top Ten hit. In the autumn of 1961 it shot from 22 to 4, then dropped to 10, then 26, all within the space of four weeks. The single (a double A-side with "Little Sister", as in the States) spent four weeks at No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart — one of Presley's nine UK chart-toppers between 1960 and 1962.
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Personnel
Recorded in RCA Studio B, Nashville, Tennessee, June 25, 1961
Cover versions
It was covered by alternative-rock band The Smiths (as part of a live medley with their song "Rusholme Ruffians", which can be found on the album Rank), punk band Misfits, the heavy-metal band Scorpions and Italian alternative-rock band Verdena, as well as Brian May. El Vez released a single version of the song, changing it slightly to "Maria's the Name (of His Latest Flame)".
It was also covered by home-recording artist R. Stevie Moore on his 1984 album Everything. In 1987 Marco T released a Spanish version of the song in Colombia. Also covered by underground L.A. band "easter", featuring members of the early punk scene with Danny Dean and Mike Ness on guitar, Chad Carrier on bass and Korky on drums, and featured on their Greatest Hits CD released in 2008, but changing the song title to "Latest Flame".
Country/Americana artist JD Myers recorded a version featuring James Burton on guitar in 1997, on the Asylum Records album Like A Train. The album never was officially released, but the song appears on the compilation album JD Myers, only available on the artist's website. DJ and promo copies of the original album featuring Burton can also be found on that website. The closest cover to Elvis' version of this song was recorded in England on The Embassy Records label in Nov of 1961 by Ray Pilgrim, who recorded under the name Bobby Stevens for the label.