Ray Halton - The Last Heart (I'll Ever Love) 1969

Born Raymond Halton in Memphis, Tennessee, Ray was already melancholy as a child. His first heartbreak came at age 7, when his pet duck Corn started spending more time at the neighbor’s house because they had a bigger puddle and better breadcrumbs. Ray reportedly stood by the fence and whispered, “So you’re happier without me too.” By his twenties, Ray was singing in small clubs, supper rooms, and hotel lounges, where he developed what he called “elevator soul”, music for people going up, going down, or trying not to cry in public. “The Last Heart (I’ll Ever Love)” was written during those hotel-lounge years, after Ray saw his ex walking into the lobby with someone else. He stepped into the elevator and rode it up and down for an hour. By the time he returned to the lobby, the chorus was finished, his dignity had checked out, and somewhere in his heart, Corn the duck had returned. --- A9 remembers Ray Halton: A velvet-suited soul gentleman who learned too early that sometimes even the duck is happier without you. Lyrics available — turn on captions, because Ray went up, went down, and still couldn’t find the floor where love came back.