Heartbreak Hotel

So hush, little baby

don't you cry

you know your daddy's

bound to die.

But all

my trials, Lord

soon be over

Jo.

- Glory. - Glory, glory.

Hallelujah

his truth is

marching

on.

His truth is marching

on.

John, Mom's home.

Okay.

Okay. Mmm.

Waiter!

We need some music.

Like a fool.

Treat me mean and cruel, Cheers.

But love me.

Wring my faithful heart.

- Tear it all apart, - Hey, Mom?

- But love me - Mom!

You want to turn down the music? We've got school tomorrow.

Johnny, Pammie, hi. This is Steve.

We met Steve on Tuesday night.

- Hi, kids. - You did?

- Friday also. - Saturday too.

- I'll be sad and blue. - Oh, I'm sorry.

- Cryin' over you. - Just turn it down a little, please.

- Okay. - Good night, kids.

Oh, boy.

- Let's go to sleep. - Would beg and steal.

- Beg and steal. - Just to feel.

What?

I don't feel like dancing anymore.

- Well, let's go upstairs. - No, no.

Well, what?

It's not right.

I think you should go home.

- You really want me to go? - I want you to go. It's not right.

- Fine! - Oh, so lonely

'cause I feel my soul on fire

Pushin' me on takin' me higher

I see my soul on fire.

Who can resist a feeling like this.

Soul on fire.

Soul on fire.

Whoa! Man, we're ready for today, aren't we?

You gotta be kiddin'. You know they're gonna cut us again.

Are you whacked? We play better than ever. We kick.

They're gonna pull some kind of bullshit excuse right out of left field.

- What was it last year? - Dress code. We didn't fit in.

All right, So we cover our asses.

We make it so these guys can't come up with any excuses.

Yeah.

Your brother still work at Taylor Tux?

Yeah. Why? Oh, no, John. No way.

Monkey suits. No way.

- No way. He's right. - Come on, you guys.

This talent show is the only place we could play, man.

Three years in a row we've been cut. You know how many people are gonna be there?

John! Breakfast!

I gotta go. See ya later.

- Thirty-eight regular, man. - Thirty-eight regular.

Where are the Sugar Smacks?

You're not getting enough nutrition lately.

Eating that sugarcoated crap clogs your blood.

We out of Sugar Smacks?

- What is it with you two? - You feeling guilty about something?

- What did you say? - You heard me.

Why is it every time I try to do something nice...

you've got to twist it into something selfish and mean?

I call 'em like I see 'em.

- I don't like the way you see 'em. - Me neither, ma.

I'm sick of you commenting on my private life. It is my business.

As soon as your private life starts interfering with my life and Pammie's life...

then it becomes my business too.

Day after day I'm more confused.

Yet I look for the light through the pouring rain.

You know that's a game that I hate to lose,

And I'm feelin' the strain.

Ain't it a shame.

Oh, give me the beat, boys and free my soul.

And drift away...

- She's good, isn't she? - Oh, yes.

This is so cool, man.

She's playing Bob Dylan, and those bozos don't even know it.

We got a better chance of winning the Vietnam War than making it with a girl like that.

Shut up.

Excellent, Beth.

- Was that Debussy? - No. An obscure American composer.

Oh, yes. Well, congratulations.

We'll see you at rehearsal Saturday afternoon.

Okay, thank you.

Johnny Wolfe... and the Wolfepack.

Hi. This is a song I wrote. It's called “Soul On Fire.”

Soul on fire

Soul on fire now.

Huh!

There's somethin' that's hurtin' me

I'm talkin' about that bloody war.

Where children are dyin' in a country.

That can't take much more.

It's a fight for survival.

And if I fight all alone

I'm gonna beat every rival.

Stop it! Stop I Say!

Won't let go 'cause I feel

My soul on fire...

Thank you very much, Mr. Wolfe.

That's it, man? You're not gonna let us finish?

I'm sorry, but we find the lyrics objectionable.

Object... Ah, come on.

Last year you said it was the dress code.

A year before that, you said their hair was too long.

The year before that, you said we had to take a semester of that glee club to qualify.

What you're really saying is that you don't like rock 'n' roll.

That's not true. Last year, Mitch Engle sang a rock song.

He sang “Close To You” by the Carpenters. That's not rock 'n' roll.

- Mr. Wolfe! - I'm sorry.

We worked really hard for this.

We rented these tuxes and all. If you would just give us a chance.

- I'm sorry. - John, that's all right, man.

Please, sir, just a chance.

Please get off the stage. We have to continue with the auditions.

It's all right, man. It's all right.

Don't worry about it.

- Why? - Thank you.

The Bonnie Rowan Trio.

Don't you hate cleaning this place up every night?

I mean, no one ever comes here anyway.

Mom figures we might get a guest someday.

I guess this place reminds her of dad.

I heard he's got a new family and everything.

Pammie, that's not true.

Dad's not the kind of guy who wants a family.

If he was, he'd be back here with us.

Right? Right?

- Hi. - Ma, the floor's wet.

Okay. You can put that away.

- Let's go. - Where're we going?

We're going to an Elvis double feature at the drive-in.

Pammie's got to study.

- She can study in the back seat. - Why do we have to see an Elvis movie?

Why can't we see something cool? Let's go see The Godfather.

A boy your age can learn a lot from the King.

He isn't the King anymore. He lost that a long time ago.

- He is still the King. - How many times I gotta tell ya?

His hair is full of oil and grease.

He's got big ol' hairy lamb chops on his face.

All his songs are about Hawaii. He makes lousy movies.

And he sucks at guitar, Mom. Pete Townshend would waste him.

Tell me. What is a guy like me gonna learn from a guy like that?

There was a time when every guy wanted to be Elvis.

If you want to learn something from Elvis...

watch the way he treats women.

You'll have every girl at school wanting a date with you.

Come on. Come on, Pammie.

Come on. It'll be fun.

Hey, you, sideburns. I got a chick down there wants to hear you sing.

- I'm sorry, sir, I... - It's pure.

Pure.

What?

Elvis.

He's so pure, so clean, like...

Like Ivory Soap suds covered with sweet cream.

That's about the corniest thing I've ever heard you say.

- Well, heist. - Pure.

You know, your dad was a little like Elvis.

- No. Was he? - Mm-hmm.

You know, once, for our eighth wedding anniversary...

your dad got this new rowboat, the Irish Mist.

We took it out for a moonlight sail to the gazebo.

And we had beer and pizza...

and we made love right there in the gazebo.

Ah, come on.

Well, we did occasionally make love.

It's normal. Where in the hell do you think you came from?

I know. But now every time I take a boat ride, I'm gonna think of you two goin' at it.

Oooh.

Anyway, after we make love...

- he gets his guitar... - Dad played guitar?

No. No, but he taught himself three chords...

just so he could sing me my favorite Elvis song, “Love Me.”

And he starts singing, and his voice is real flat...

and gravelly, like when I hear you singing sometimes.

- Thanks. - No!

But it was, it was real...

It was real meaningful. It was real...

It was so beautiful.

You know, I almost started to cry.

I had...

I leaned over to give him a hug...

and knocked the guitar into the water.

It floated away.

We never got it back.