Weekly Basslines #122: Burning Love (Elvis Presley)

This was requested by Dieter from Germany and as I started transcribing the song I found out that this bassline contains a very common bass-pattern, which has been used in a multitude of different songs from different eras and different styles.

I'm calling this pattern the 1-5-6-Pattern because it uses the root (1), the fifth (5) and a sixth (6) to a given chord. Here's an example for the C major chord:

The first time I came across this pattern was, when I transcribed the James Jamerson Bassline to "I can't help myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by the Four Tops from 1965.

In the same year Duck Dunn used this pattern for accompanying Otis Reddings song "I can't turn you loose":

When you compare these two basslines, you'll notice that only the order of the notes played was changed:

The next time I spotted the 1-5-6-Pattern was in the 1966 single "Substitute" by The Who.

The Who -- Substitute - MyVideo

The next example is from Elton John's big hit of the early seventies (1972) "Crocodile Rock":

Coming back to "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley, which was also recorded in 1972. 

More songs that I found to contain the 1-5-6-Pattern are:

Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye

Hues Corporation - Rock The Boat (which I transcribed last year)
Queen - A Kind Of Magic (submitted by Hoobayne via basschat.co.uk)
Booker T. & The M.G.'s - Time Is Tight (submitted by DaveFry via basschat.co.uk)
Billy Ocean - Love Really Hurts Without You (submitted by Chardbass via basschat.co.uk)
Rita Coolidge - Higher and Higher (submitted by Annoying Twit via basschat.co.uk)
(You can find the transcription to Rita Coolidge's rendition of "Higher and Higher" here!)
John Fred & His Playboy Band - Judy In Disguise (submitted by BassLine via ozzbassforum.com)

If you find more songs with the 1-5-6-Pattern please drop a note in the comments or send me an eMail to tom@four-strings.de so I can continue this list.

During the research to this post I stumbled across a lot of cover versions for "Burning Love":

The first recorded version of the song was done by Arthur Alexander (so in fact Elvis Presley also did a cover version):

For the Disney movie "Lilo & Stitch" this version was recorded

Here's a funny Metal-Version:

The website "Second Hand Songs" lists 53 cover versions of "Burning Love":

Second Hand Songs (Burning Love)

So thanks again to Dieter for the donation and this inspiring request!!