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TL;DR:

  • Josh Groban covered Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now or Never.”
  • Groban said the song has new relevance during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
  • Groban noted “It’s Now or Never” is based on an Italian song.
"It's Now or Never" singer Elvis Presley holding a guitar
Elvis Presley | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer

Elvis Presley‘s “It’s Now or Never” was a massive hit. John Groban covered the song, saying it has new meaning during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Subsequently, Groban revealed why he performed the song.

Josh Groban said Elvis Presley’s ‘It’s Now or Never’ is similar to Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now’ in a way

During a 2022 interview with the Star-News, an interviewer said “It’s Now or Never” took on a new meaning because of the pandemic. Groban agreed, saying some of the other songs he covered took on new meanings as well. “‘Now or Never,'” he said. “‘Both Sides, Now.’ ‘The Impossible Dream.'” 

Groban discussed how he views all of these songs. “There are songs that, you know, all of a sudden you’re singing them through the lens of what this change has been,” he said. “And they do what great songs often do: They continue to have new meaning and new relevance in the world we’re living in.” Groban did not specify how “It’s Now or Never” relates to the coronavirus.

Why Josh Groban covered an Elvis Presley song in the 1st place

Groban recalled singing “It’s Now or Never” for a television special called Elvis: All-Star Tribute, a television special in honor of Elvis’ ’68 Comeback Special. “The interesting thing about how that song came about was, it was a tribute song,” he said. “We all got assigned different songs to sing, and that was the song they gave me.”

“When I was talking to the producer and director of that show, we were discussing the fact that Elvis actually liked that song because it had classical roots, because it was based on ”O sole mio,’ and Elvis actually really liked classical singing,” Groban recalled. For context, “‘O sole mio” is an Italian song from the 19th century. “And in a lot of the songs that he sings, but especially on that one, he really opens up, he’s more operatic.”

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How ‘It’s Now or Never’ performed on the charts in the United States

“It’s Now or Never” became a massive hit for Elvis. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, staying on the chart for 20 weeks altogether.

 “It’s Now or Never” appeared on the compilation album Elvis: 30 #1 Hits. The album topped the Billboard 200 for three weeks, remaining on the chart for 127 weeks in total.

“It’s Now or Never” was a huge hit and Groban thinks it has relevance to the modern day.

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