Did Elvis write any of his own songs?
While Elvis didn't write any songs by himself, he did receive a co-writing credit on several hits he sang.
In fact, he wrote a few of his own tunes but usually performed songs written for him or songs he just loved to sing. In that way, there are a number of famous cover songs by Elvis—one that comes to mind is “Fools Rush In.” If you know the song, it's easy to hear Elvis' big voice singing it right now.
Elvis did not write any of his own songs even though he had hundreds of tracks recorded throughout his musical career. Even though he did not write any songs himself, he was given co-writing credits on several of his tracks, including Heartbreak Hotel, Return To Sender, and That's Someone You Never Forget.
Elvis Never Wrote a Single Song
Elvis recorded more than 600 songs in his music career but did not write a single song (impossible to confirm, but he was given co-writing credit on many songs because his label demanded songwriters give up 50% of the credit before Presley would record it).
It is widely believed that, while Elvis is credited as a co-writer on many of his songs, he actually wrote very few of them. The reason for this is because, it has been alleged, his record company demanded songwriters give up 50 percent of the credit before Elvis would record the song.
Despite taking 50 per cent of all the profits from Elvis' career, Parker was no less gullible than the 'rubes' whom he delighted in exploiting in his carnival days. The Colonel himself ended up being the greatest sucker of them all, giving back almost his entire fortune to the Hilton croupiers.
By 1957, Presley's partnership with Hill and Range also included giving a one-third cut of mechanical royalties from every songwriter to Presley as well.
And while Elvis wasn't a songwriter per se, he did co-write a few songs in his career including 'That's Someone You Never Forget' and the haunting 'You'll Be Gone'.
| Title | Written by | Original date |
|---|---|---|
| All Shook Up | Elvis Presley, Otis Blackwell | November 7, 1956 |
| Don't Be Cruel | Elvis Presley, Otis Blackwell | July 2, 1956 |
| Heartbreak Hotel | Elvis Presley, Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden | January 10, 1956 |
| Paralyzed | Elvis Presley, Otis Blackwell | September 2, 1956 |
1. Hound Dog (1956) Controversial in its day, “Hound Dog” is now considered one of the biggest influences on the rock 'n' roll genre, and was Presley's biggest selling single, spending a recording-setting 11 weeks at number one in 1956 – a record which stood for 36 years.
Could Elvis read music?
While he couldn't read or write music and had no formal lessons, he was a natural musician and played everything by ear. He could often hear a song, pick up an instrument, and play. He often played an instrument in his recordings, and always produced his own music.
...
Way Down.
| "Way Down" | |
|---|---|
| Recorded | October 29, 1976 |
| Studio | Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 2:39 |
Elvis songwriter Mike Stoller looks back on his hits Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber wrote hit songs for Elvis, along with a whos-who of other artists including Big Mama Thornton, Ben E. King, and more.
Elvis thought he understood hippie culture — and the Beatles were the worst example of it. First, Elvis said, "The Beatles had been a real force for anti-American spirit." He then claimed that "the Beatles came to this country, made their money, and then returned to England where they promoted an anti-American theme."
He was able to identify pitches accurately, which helped him to create his own unique style of music. Elvis' perfect pitch was just one of the many factors that contributed to his success. The singing range of Elvis Presley was quite extensive, ranging from three octaves to a full seven.
Sony Entertainment owns the rights to all pre-1970 recordings of Elvis Presley, whereas RCA Records (owned by RCA) owns the rights to all prior recordings. The majority of Elvis Presley's estate is owned by his daughter, Lisa Marie, but a deal was made before he died that diverted all royalties from his music.
Following Elvis's death, he left Lisa Marie ownership of the Graceland estate through a trust fund set up in her benefit. That trust dissolved when she turned 25 in 1993, giving her full ownership of the property, which now hosts popular public tours and sits next to museums honoring Elvis's life and career.
The sum varies from $2 million to $10 million, she says, and as the movie shows, Elvis ultimately decided he couldn't afford to pay and went back to work for the colonel.
When Lisa Marie Presley finally got access to her inheritance in 1993, she founded a trust in her father's name to manage his estate. But in 2004, she agreed to sell off 85% of Elvis Presley Enterprises' assets, including Elvis' likeness rights, for around $100 million to music entrepreneur Robert F.X.
Who gets the profits from Elvis?
He was 42 years old. Elvis' will appointed his father, Vernon Presley, as the executor and a trustee of his estate. The beneficiaries of the trust were Vernon; his daughter Lisa Marie (whom he shared with ex-wife Priscilla Presley); and his grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley.
The beneficiaries were Elvis' grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley; his father, Vernon Presley; and his only child, Lisa Marie Presley. The will provided that Vernon Presley could, at his discretion, provide funds to other family members as needed.
I learned very early in life that: 'Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain't got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend - without a song. ' So I keep singing a song. Goodnight. Thank you.”
Upon the death of her grandparents a few years later, Priscilla and the National Bank of Commerce were appointed as trustees, and Lisa Marie became Elvis' sole heir. In 1983, during her 25th birthday, Lisa Marie finally inherited her father's entire estate, which had grown to about $100 million.
Presley never fired Parker publicly, but he did have an on-stage meltdown at a Vegas show over the firing of a kitchen employee he liked. After this altercation, Presley and Parker did have an argument that resulted in Parker's firing, according to Alanna Nash, author of Parker's biography.
The king was in fact a fan of makeup — more specifically, eye makeup — and loved making his vibrant blue eyes pop on stage while performing.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- In 1953, Elvis Presley walked into Sun Records in Memphis and recorded the song "My Happiness." He was only 18. Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on this date in 1935. For $4, Presley was able to leave the studio with an acetate copy of the 78 RPM record, meant as a gift for his mother Gladys.
"It was just my own form of therapy. I knew that the singing aspect of [the role] was going to be something I really wanted to give everything I had to." According to EW, Butler's voice is behind every song you hear from Elvis's early life.
Elvis has had no less than 149 songs to appear on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Chart in America. Of these, 114 were in the top forty, 40 were in the top 10, and 18 went to number one. His number one singles spent a total of 80 weeks at number one.
- “Don't Be Cruel” “Don't be cruel to a heart that's true. ...
- “One Night” “One night with you. ...
- “(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame” "Would you believe that yesterday. ...
- “In the Ghetto” “As the snow flies. ...
- “The Wonder of You” “Guess I'll never know the reason why.
Who was Elvis Presley's greatest love?
Priscilla is renowned for her status as Elvis Presley's greatest love. How did Elvis and Priscilla meet? She listened to Elvis's first record when she was only 11 years old. At that time, she was living in Austin, Texas, with her parents.
Elvis Presley often used his guitar as a prop, before abandoning it completely in the Las Vegas stage of his career, but it turns out that he could really play the instrument. Nobody would call him a virtuoso, but he could do more than just bang on it and break strings.
So far in 2019, Presley's music accounts for 16.5 million hours of streaming, with more than 2.3 million playlists dedicated to the rock icon. Presley's music averages more than 9.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Elvis enjoyed plenty of popular artists as well, like the Bee Gees, Tom Jones, Neil Sedaka and Peter, Paul & Mary. Ray Charles is an artist whose music pops up repeatedly in his collection.
- “Amazing Grace”
- “Peace in the Valley”
- “He Is My Everything”
- “Anything That's Part of You”
- “Softly, As I Leave You”
- “I'll Remember You”
- “Always On My Mind”
- “Just Pretend”
However, two months before his death Elvis Presley took to the stage for his last staggering performance to be captured on camera. Despite what we now know to be his extensive health issues and struggles with addiction, The King gave a rendition of 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' that has gone down in history.
Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969, marking the King of Rock & Roll's final chart-topper on the list.
| POS | TITLE | ARTIST |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | It's Now Or Never | Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires |
| 2 | Jailhouse Rock** | Elvis Presley |
| 3 | Are You Lonesome Tonight | Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires |
| 4 | A Little Less Conversation | Elvis vs JXL |
Michael jackson easily! Elvis in his days was very popular. I say he was more achieved in the 50s, but popular in the 70s because of his comeback tours. Michael on the other hand was a worldwide phenomenon, while Elvis was an American cultural icon.
About the Author
Peter Guralnick's books include the prize-winning two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love.
Who was Elvis Favourite singer?
For Elvis Presley, there were a whole host of artists worthy of admiration, but only one with enough God-given talent to be worthy of the title “the greatest singer in the world”. That artist was the one Roy Orbison.
In the Miles book, Paul spoke of the falling in “love” with Elvis' music in 1956 and 1957. “If we were feeling lousy,” he recalls, “we'd go back and play 'Don't Be Cruel,' and we'd be right up there again. It could cure any blues.” Presley's music even had the power to cure Paul's physical ills.
Harrison mournfully noted that Elvis didn't even look or dress like his usual self. Instead, he said the King was adorned in a "big white outfit with all the gold things and the big belt buckle".
“Freddie was very fond of Elvis.” Mercury said he even styled his vocals on the song to sound like The King Of Rock'n'Roll. “My voice does sound a bit like Elvis Presley's on 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love',” explained the singer.
Elvis Presley's three-octave vocal range was exceptional, 'very narrowly all at once a tenor, baritone, and bass'. A 1987 article in the Village Voice included an assessment of his voice in classical terms, categorizing it as a 'lyric baritone ... [but with] unexpectedly rich low [notes] ... and astounding high notes'.
Voice characteristics
Elvis Presley was a baritone whose voice had an extraordinary compass — the so-called register — and a very wide range of vocal colour. It covered two octaves and a third, from the baritone low-G to the tenor high B, with an upward extension in falsetto to at least a D flat.
Sadly for Lisa Marie, her inheritance never included the royalties to the many songs of Elvis Presley's which were recorded. This was due to a poor deal negotiated by Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, which meant all future royalties were signed away.
At the time of his death in 1977, Elvis Presley's net worth was around $5 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. (That's around $24 million today.) This figure was complicated by expenses related to Graceland and the fact that his record label was making money off his music, not Presley's estate or relatives.
The Colonel himself ended up being the greatest sucker of them all, giving back almost his entire fortune to the Hilton croupiers.
While he couldn't read or write music and had no formal lessons, he was a natural musician and played everything by ear. He could often hear a song, pick up an instrument, and play. He often played an instrument in his recordings, and always produced his own music.
What was the last song Elvis sang before he died?
Reportedly the last song Elvis sang in private was a rendition of 'Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain,' performed on his piano in Graceland hours before his death. It would become the first exposé on Presley's years of drug misuse.
Elvis did dedicate several songs to his wife, Priscilla. He would often sing “Love Me Tender” to her in private, and would dedicate the song to her in public on occasion. He also wrote a song for her, “Always on My Mind,” which he recorded and released in 1972.
Among those who participated in the public memorial service at Elvis Presley's mansion in Memphis, Tenn., were musicians Billy Corgan, Alanis Morissette and Axl Rose, as well as Priscilla Presley.
After Lisa Marie's death in 2023, Graceland and her trust were inherited by her daughters, Riley Keough and Harper and Finley Lockwood, a representative for Graceland confirmed to People.
Lisa Marie Presley retains 100% sole personal ownership of Graceland Mansion itself and its over 13-acre original grounds and her father's personal effects - meaning costumes, wardrobe, awards, furniture, cars, etc.. She has made the mansion property and her father's personal effects permanently available for tours of ...
After Elvis died in 1977 at Graceland, Priscilla helped establish Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), which launched Graceland into a top international tourist destination.
The King's life came to an end on August 16, 1977. He was found unconscious by his then-girlfriend, Ginger Alden, on the bathroom floor in his Graceland mansion home. He was rushed to the hospital but after several attempts to revive him failed, Presley was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m. He was only 42 years old.
"When we met, I was an impressionable 14-year-old. He was 24," she said. According to Priscilla, when he found out she was in ninth grade, he responded, “Why, you're just a baby.” Speaking to Larry King in 1999, Priscilla contextualized the time in Elvis' life when they met.