About the song
By the early 1970s, **Elvis Presley** was already a legend. He had reshaped rock and roll, dominated the charts, and set the standard for live performances. Yet, as the decade began, his career was at a crossroads. The explosion of the British Invasion and the rise of new musical trends had pushed him away from the rock sound that had made him famous. But in **1973**, amidst his Las Vegas residencies and a growing focus on ballads, Elvis proved he could still bring the fire with **“Burning Love.”**
Originally written by Dennis Linde, **“Burning Love”** was first recorded by country artist Arthur Alexander. However, when Elvis got his hands on it, the song took on a life of its own. With its driving rhythm, electric guitar riffs, and Elvis’s unmistakable vocal power, the track burst onto the airwaves like a shot of adrenaline. It was a return to the high-energy, hip-shaking sound that had made him the King of Rock and Roll.
The song’s lyrics capture the uncontrollable passion of love, comparing it to an all-consuming fire. Lines like *“Lord Almighty, I feel my temperature rising”* and *“Higher and higher, it’s burning through to my soul”* reflect the intensity of infatuation, making it one of Elvis’s most dynamic performances of the era. Backed by a lively arrangement and the unmistakable energy of his TCB Band, **“Burning Love”** felt fresh and exciting at a time when some critics were beginning to question whether Elvis could still rock.
Commercially, the song was a triumph. It became Elvis’s last major hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 2 in the U.S.—kept from the top spot only by Chuck Berry’s **“My Ding-a-Ling.”** More importantly, it reminded fans that Elvis could still deliver the kind of raw, passionate performance that had made him a star in the first place.
Today, **“Burning Love”** stands as one of Elvis’s defining later-career hits, a testament to his ability to reignite the spark of rock and roll whenever he chose.
Video
Lyrics
Lord Almighty, I feel my temperature risin’, mmm
Higher, higher, it’s burning through to my soul
Girl, girl, girl, girl, you’re gonna set me on fire
My brain is flamin’, I don’t know which way to go, yeah
Your kisses lift me higher
Like a sweet song of a choir
You light my mornin’ sky with burning love, mmm
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, I feel my temperature risin’, mm
Help me, I’m flamin’, I must be a 109, mmm
Burnin’, burnin’, burnin’ and nothing can cool me, yeah
I just might turn into smoke, but I feel fine
‘Cause your kisses lift me higher
Like the sweet song of a choir
And you light my mornin’ sky with burning love
It’s comin’ closer, the flames are now lickin’ my body, mm
Won’t you help me? I feel like I’m slippin’ away
It’s hard to breathe, and my chest is a-heavin’, mmm, hmm
Lord, have mercy, I’m burning a hole where I lay, yeah
Your kisses lift me higher
Like the sweet song of a choir
You light my morning sky with burning love
With burning love (a hunk, a hunk of burning love, ah)
I’m just a hunk, a hunk of burning love (ah)
I’m just a hunk, a hunk of burning love, ah (ah)
A hunk, a hunk of burning love, ah (ah)
A hunk, a hunk of burning love, ah (ah)
A hunk, a hunk of burning love (ah)
Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love, ah (ah)
A hunk, a hunk of burning love, ah, ah (ah)
I’m just a hunk, a hunk of burning love
