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Don't Forbid Me

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jim5769 (talk | contribs) at 22:37, 15 July 2020 (Corrected the infobox release date entry. The song was released in November 1956, but charted in 1957.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Don't Forbid Me"
Single by Pat Boone
ReleasedNovember 1956[1] (November 1956[1])
GenrePop
Songwriter(s)Charles Singleton
Pat Boone singles chronology
"Friendly Persuasion'"
(1956)
"Don't Forbid Me"
(1956)
"Why Baby Why"
(1957)

"Don't Forbid Me" is a popular song by Charles Singleton, that was a #1 hit for Pat Boone in 1957. Among Singleton's huge number of compositions was Tryin' to Get to You, which had previously been recorded by Elvis Presley at Sun Records.

The Elvis Connection and version

Pat Boone's recording and 1957 hit record though came about because the demo was FIRST sent to Elvis Presley's house where it laid UNOPENED, in Elvis' words "with all the junk that comes there". This was revealed by Elvis during the Million Dollar Quartet jam session of December 4, 1956, BEFORE Boone's recording came out. Elvis cut a delightful fast minute and twenty second version of the song with The Million Dollar Quartet that then laid lost with the other Sun Records tapes of that session for 25 years.

The Beatles and Bert Kaempfert cover versions

According to eminent author Mark Lewisohn in "The Complete Beatles Chronicles" (p. 362), The Beatles performed Don't Forbid Me on stage from at least 1960 and through 1961 (which would've been in Liverpool and Hamburg) with Paul McCartney on lead vocal. But no recording is known to survive. However their performing it on stage in Hamburg is probably where big-band conductor, arranger, writer, producer Bert Kaempfert heard the song (as he had previously never covered a single rock song of any sort for his instrumental records). Thus in 1961 the celebrated Bert Kaempfert did a version of the song for his instrumental album The Wonderland Of Bert Kaempfert. Kaempfert also signed The Beatles to record for Polydor backing their friend (and almost Beatle) Tony Sheridan.