A Drop with Grief

The song "If I Can Dream" has the phrase is "We're lost in a cloud". This note has an obvious slide at the start, from the dominant to the second. However, there seems to be another slide at the end of the note, from the second to the third.

The effect is what could be called, for lack of a better word, "subliminal". If you do not know what to listen for, you will not hear it. If you are paying close attention, you might notice that something is there, but not know what it is. Or you might notice an unexpected emotional effect. If you notice the emotional effect and then study the note, then you can hear it. So the effect would usually be created in the listener without the listener's awareness.

The same effect occurs on the following "world".

I think the slide occurs when he closes the note. So, I think, the volume is decreasing and Presley is pretty near the 'd' sound ending the word.

Interpretational Effect.

There might be two interpretational effects. The first one is emotional. It is easier to produce this slide if your vocal tract is positioned for grief, and I think the slide probably helps signal grief. You listen to the emotional effect of the note.

Musically, a melody will sometimes have what I call a "free note". This is a note that could be two different notes, with equally good effect. The melody of this line works well if cloud is either the dominant, second, or third. If Presley had done just one slide, he would essentially sing two versions of the melody at the same time. With the second slide, he produces three versions of the melody.

I think Presley is doing both. He has his vocal tract set for grief, and that produces the ending upwards slide. But it doesn't sound like a slide up to some random note, or an upwards slide that ends only because Presley has stopped singing the note. It sounds, to me, like he nails the third. As if, somewhere in his brain, he knew that the third was an acceptable note at this place in the melody.

Can You do this at Home?

As far as I know, this does not require any vocal athleticism. But it is not easy. The goal is to get a little "subliminal" effect, where the final glide up is there but not easily heard, and the conscious effect is mostly emotional. An operatic voice doesn't work. The only way I can get the effect is to squinch my face up like I am in grief. And Presley sings this part of the song like he is about to cry, so that works well.

Am I Crazy?

Maybe. But you listen. You try to sing it.