Born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935, Elvis Presley is the best-selling solo artist in recording history with an estimated record sales of over 600 million. He's a cultural icon who blurred musical genres and color lines.
Commercially successful in pop, R&B, blues, country, and gospel, he was also an actor in mostly bad films. Throughout the 1960s he made 27 of them. Holy clambake, that's a lot of movies! He was controversial, a sex symbol, a charismatic performer, and one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century. Though he died on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42, some refuse to believe he's left the building, a true testament to the King's influence and legacy. |
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1. Jailhouse Rock
Jailhouse Rock was written by Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber. It was released as a single in September 1957 to coincide with Elvis Presley's movie Jailhouse Rock. Though the song was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek, goofy tune, Elvis sang it as straight rock-n-roll - even the part that suggests a gay romance when inmate Number 47 tells Number 3, "You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see."
Trivia: Shifty Henry was an LA musician not a criminal. The Purple Gang was a real mob. Sad Sack was a nickname in the Army for a loser and later became a comic book character. |
2. That's All Right
Originally recorded by Arthur Crudup with ‘mama’ in the title, That’s All Right was Elvis Presley’s first single. Released in 1954, it became popular with the help of Dewey Phillips and his radio show, Red, Hot & Blue. When it was released That's All Right only sold 20,000, not enough to chart nationally. Today it’s ranked as one of the greatest songs of all time.
Trivia: Dewey reportedly played the song 14 times one night and received 40 calls. Elvis went on his show and answered questions. To settle the dispute as to whether Elvis was black or white, Phillips asked him what high school he attended. |
3. Burning Love
Written by Dennis Linde, Burning Love was originally recorded by country soul artist, Arthur Alexander in 1972. Elvis made the song popular when he released his version that same year, making it Elvis's fist major hit since Suspicious Minds in 1969 and his last Top 10 single in the United States.
Trivia: The song was also released on the album, Burning Love and Hits from his Movies: Volume 2. Despite this album's title, none of the movie songs on it were ever hits, except Burning Love. |
4. Blue Suede Shoes
Written and originally recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955, Blue Suede Shoes is considered the first rockabilly records. Elvis covered it for his debut album, Elvis Presley, which spent ten weeks at Number 1 in 1956. Blue Suede Shoes was not originally released as a single because Sam Phillips wanted to protect Carl Perkins, who was also a Sun Records artist.
Trivia: Elvis re-recorded the song for his movie G.I. Blues despite having a firm policy for never re-recording an already issued song so it would have stereo sound to fit the rest of the movie's audio. |
5. Clambake
The song Clambake is from the 1967 musical movie of the same name. The movie's about the heir to an oil fortune who trades places with a water-ski instructor at a Florida hotel to see if girls will like him for himself, rather than his father's money. The film also stars The Incredible Hulk, Bill Bixby.
Trivia: According to Priscilla Presley, Elvis started overeating during the filming of Clambake due to depression about the quality of his movies. After gaining weight, the studio ordered Elvis to lose it in a hurry and diet pills were added to his already stuffed pill box. |
6. Can't Help Falling in Love
Can't Help Falling in Love was originally recorded by Elvis in 1961 and featured in his film, Blue Hawaii. The song has been used in numerous movies and TV shows and has been certified Platinum with sales of over one million copies. The song's been covered by numerous artists including UB40, U2, Ingrid Michaelson, Haley Reinhart, Chris Isaak, and Bob Dylan.
Trivia: During his late 1960s and 1970s live performances, the song was performed as every show's finale. |
7. Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Performances is a two-disc compilation album released in 1994 that includes master recordings of the gospel music Elvis Presley recorded throughout his career. The set includes all the songs from the three gospel albums he released, as well as new recordings and a booklet detailing the session recordings and an essay by Charles Wolfe.
Trivia: Southern gospel singer, Jake Hess was one of Elvis's favorite performers and an early influence on Elvis's ballad-singing style. |
8. Hound Dog
Hound Dog was originally recorded and released by Big Mama Thornton in 1953. It was her only hit, and her version is listed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll." The song has been recorded over 250 times, but it was Elvis Presley's version in 1956 that really put Hound Dog on the map. It was charted Number 1 on pop, country, and R&B charts simultaneously for 11 weeks, a record that stood for 36 years. Hound Dog is Elvis's best selling song of all-time and has sold over 10 million copies globally.
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9. Money Honey
Money Honey was written by Jesse Stone and released in 1953 by Clyde McPhatter of the The Drifters. Elvis covered the song in 1956 on his debut LP, Elvis Presley.
Trivia: The song's been covered by Little Richard, Aaron Neville, Gary Glitter, The Coasters, 38 Special, The Jackson 5, and Eddie Cochran. |
10. Suspicious Minds
Suspicious Minds was written originally recorded by Mark James. The song flopped. Elvis recorded it in 1969, and it's considered one of his most popular hits, marking his return to commercial success after a series of failed attempts.
Trivia: Suspicious Minds was Elvis's eighteenth and final hit in the United States. |
11. I Got Stung
I Got Stung was written by Aaron Schroeder and David Hill and recorded by Elvis in 1958 in Nashville. He recorded the song in the army while preparing to be shipped out to Germany. I Got Stung has some rapid-fire lyrics and is a catchy and upbeat tune.
Trivia: The song hit No. 1 in the UK in 1958. It was re-released in 2005 and hit No. 1 again. |
12. Kentucky Rain
Kentucky Rain was written by Eddie Rabbit and Dick Heard and was recorded in 1970. It marks the first hit for Elvis of the 70s. The song was not included on any album until the compilation Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits Vol. 1. There are also several live version. Though the song peaked at 16 on the charts, it is certainly one of our favorites here at Vinyl.
Trivia: The song features pianist Ronnie Milsap. |
13. All Shook Up
All Shook Up was recorded and released in 1957. It topped the R&B charts for four weeks. It was one of the few songs that Elvis received a writing credit for. Elvis wasn't a song writer, but woke up from a dream and felt "shook up" and called a friend. The next day Elvis had a new song.
Trivia: The Beatles, Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, and a bevy of others have covered All Shook Up. |
14. In the Ghetto
You know a song's good when there are parodies of it. In the Ghetto was written by Mac Davis. Elvis recorded the song 1969. It was his first top 10 hit in over four years. In the Ghetto has been covered by numerous artists from Sammy Davis Jr. and Marilyn Manson to The Cranberries and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, but none can top the King's.
Trivia: The original title of the song was The Vicious Circle. |
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