Aura Lea was published by Poulton, an Englishman who had come to the USA with his family as a boy in 1838, and Fosdick in 1861. It was a sentimental ballad at a time when upbeat and cheerful songs were more popular in the
music halls. It became popular as a
minstrel song, and the tune was also taken up by the
U.S. Military Academy as a graduating class song, called "Army Blue"; new lyrics by L. W. Becklaw were sung to the original melody. The Civil War began shortly after the song's release; "Aura Lea" was adopted by soldiers on both sides, and was often sung around campfires. The tune is familiar to modern audiences from the 1956
Elvis Presley #1 hit "
Love Me Tender" with new lyrics by
Ken Darby, a
derivative adaptation of the original. A later Presley recording for the film
The Trouble with Girls entitled "Violet (Flower of N.Y.U.)" also used the melody of "Aura Lea". ==Lyrics==