Elvis Songs: Almost in Love

Written by: Luiz Bonfa, Randy Starr

Recorded: March 7, 1968 (Elvis' overdubbed vocals possibly March 11), Western Recorders, Hollywood

Singles: w/ "A Little Less Conversation", 47-9610, September 15, 1968
Also released as Gold Standard Series, 447-0667, December, 1970. 

Highest U.S. Charts Position:
#95 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart

1st LP release: Almost In Love - November 1970

Brazilian jazz guitarist and composer Luiz Bonfa wrote "Moonlight in Rio" for his 1966 album The Brazilian Scene. Randy Starr added new lyrics for Elvis' version, retitled "Almost In Love".

Musical arranger and songwriter Billy Strange took charge of the March 1968 soundtrack recording session for Live a Little, Love a Little, and brought a different approach than what Elvis had been used to for previous soundtracks, and a welcome one. Incorporating strings and brass, these recordings had a more mature sound than, say, the Spinout recordings. Compare a similar ballad, "All That I Am", to "Almost In Love" and you'll see what I mean. Elvis could hold his own in the realm of Sinatra and Dino, and this song is a fine example. No dramatic, powerful high notes or anything here, just some mighty fine smooth croonin'!

In November of 1970, Elvis released his third RCA-Camden album, Almost In Love, which featured two other songs from Live A Little, Love A Little, "Edge Of Reality" and "A Little Less Conversation". The album gathered together a lot of flip-sides from Elvis' late-60s singles which hadn't appeared on LP yet, mostly songs from films.

Elvis' Camden albums were notorious for being odds-and-ends collections of mismatched songs, mostly from his movies, and throughout the 1970s, they took up a lot of space in record stores' bargain bins. I can't help it, though, I have a soft spot in my heart for Almost In Love. My copy got worn out pretty fast! Songs like "Clean Up Your Own Backyard", "Rubberneckin", "U.S. Male", and, of course, "Almost In Love", still bring back fond memories!

'Almost In Love' is a medium-tempo bossa nova, has a fine arrangement, including strings, trombones and vibraphone. It is a surprisingly successful mixture, as this was not Presley's metier. This song, which is not so well known as it ought to be, shows a new facet of Presley's musical personality.

Robert Matthew-Walker, Elvis Presley - A Study In Music, 1979

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Your lips were made for kisses so tender
I'm almost in love tonight
When we are close, my heart says surrender
I'm almost in love tonight

And here under the spell of evening
I long to hold you tight
Heaven is near, why think of tomorrow
I'm almost in love tonight

It may be just the spell of evening
I long to hold you tight
Heaven is near, why think of tomorrow
I'm almost in love tonight

Almost in love