Top 10 best Elvis Presley songs of all time

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 - August 16, 1977) was the most popular American singer and actor. Presley is called the "King of Rock and Roll" and is considered one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century.

Singer's Room writes: "Presley's energetic and distinctive performance style and sexually provocative style in an era of transforming race relations led him to both great success and equally great scandals." Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis moved to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family at the age of 13. His musical career began in 1954 with a recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience.

Presley, who played rhythm acoustic guitar accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, pioneered rockabilly, a fusion of country and rhythm and blues music with a fast tempo and rhythm. In 1955, drummer D.J. Fontana joined this classic quartet, and RCA Victor acquired his contract through a deal with Colonel Tom Parker.

Presley's first single, "Heartbreak Hotel," was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit in the United States. Within a year, RCA sold ten million singles by the artist. Thanks to his successful television appearances and chart-topping records, Presley became a leading figure in the new popular rock 'n' roll movement, although his performative style and promotion of the then-marginalized African American sound led to the singer being considered a threat to the moral well-being of white American youth. .

In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in the movie Love Me Tender. In 1958, he was drafted for military service, but two years later he resumed his recording career, releasing several of his most successful works. However, Presley gave almost no concerts, and under Parker's guidance, he devoted most of the 1960s to filming Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums.

In 1968, after a seven-year hiatus, he returned to the stage in the high-profile television program The Return of Elvis, which was followed by his long-running concerts in Las Vegas and a series of highly profitable tours.

In 1973, Presley gave his first concert as a solo artist, which was broadcast around the world - "Aloha from Hawaii". However, years of prescription drug abuse and poor nutrition severely undermined his health, and in 1977, the singer died suddenly at his Graceland estate, at the age of 42.

Having sold about 500 million records worldwide, Presley became one of the most popular musicians of all time. He was commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, rhythm and blues, adult contemporary music and gospel. He won three Grammy Awards, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the age of 36, and was inducted into numerous music halls of fame.

Presley holds several records, including the number of gold and platinum albums certified by the RIAA, the number of albums that have entered the Billboard 200 charts, the number of albums by a solo artist that have reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, and the number of singles that have reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.

In 2018, Elvis Presley was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Heartbreak Hotel

"Heartbreak Hotel" was released as a single on January 27, 1956, becoming Presley's first song on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by May Boren Exton and Tommy Durden.

The inspiration for the song was a newspaper article about the suicide of a lonely man who jumped out of a hotel window. Axton introduced the song to Presley in November 1955 at a country music convention in Nashville. Presley recorded the song on January 10, 1956, during a session with his Blue Moon Boys, guitarist Chet Atkins, and pianist Floyd Cramer.

Jailhouse Rock

"Jailhouse Rock" was recorded by Elvis Presley for the movie of the same name. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. RCA Victor released "Jailhouse Rock" on September 24, 1957 as the first single from the movie's soundtrack EP. It reached the top of the charts in the United States, the top ten in a number of other countries and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Burning Love

"Burning Love" was released in 1972. It was written by Dennis Lind. The song brought Presley considerable success, becoming his last Top 10 hit on the US Hot 100, reaching number 2 (Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Ling" was in first place).

All Shook Up

"All Shook Up" was released by Elvis Presley Music. Its author is Otis Blackwell.

The single topped the US Billboard Top 100 chart on April 13, 1957 and stayed there for nine weeks. It also topped the Billboard R&B chart for four weeks, becoming Presley's second single to do so, and peaked at No. 1 on the country chart. All Shook Up was certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

The song was also ranked #352 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Hard Headed Woman

Hard Headed Woman is a rock and roll song recorded by Elvis Presley and released by Presley's company Gladys Music in 1958. It is an American 12-bar blues written by African-American songwriter Claude Demetrius.

"Hard Headed Woman" became the soundtrack to the movie "King Creole" and was included in the album of the same name. In 1958, the song reached number one on the Billboard charts and was number two on the R&B chart for two weeks.

It is noteworthy that Hard Headed Woman was the first rock 'n' roll single to be recognized by the RIAA as a Gold Record.

Mystery Train

"Mystery Train" is a song written and recorded by American blues musician Junior Parker in 1953. Originally performed in the style of Memphis blues or rhythm and blues, it was inspired by earlier compositions and later became a rockabilly hit, first performed by Elvis Presley and then by many other singers.

Don't Be Cruel

"Don't Be Cruel" was written by Otis Blackwell in 1956. In 2002, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, the song was included in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at number 197.

Hound Dog

"Hound Dog" is a blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Recorded by the American singer Big Mama Thornton on August 13, 1952 in Los Angeles and released by Peacock Records in late February 1953, "Hound Dog" became the only hit of this artist, selling more than 500,000 copies.

In total, "Hound Dog" has been recorded more than 250 times. The most famous is the recording by Elvis Presley, made in July 1956. This version was ranked 19th in the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004, but in 2021 was excluded in favor of Thornton's version.

It is also one of the best-selling singles of all time (about 10 million copies sold). In addition, the composition is considered a symbol of the rock and roll revolution.

In 1956, it simultaneously ranked first on the American pop, country, and R&B charts and topped the pop chart for 11 weeks, a record that stood for 36 years. Presley's 1956 RCA recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1988, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included it in the list of "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".

Return to Sender

"Return to Sender" was first performed in the movie Girls! Girls! Girls! Girls! It was written by Winfield Scott and Otis Blackwell in accordance with Presley's rock and roll style.

Released on October 2, 1962 by Elvis Presley Music, the song became a commercial hit and was highly praised for its lyricism and melody.

Return to Sender peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart and became the number one Christmas song in the UK in 1962. It also became the first number one Christmas song on the Irish Singles Chart.

In the United States, "Return to Sender" peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard singles chart and No. 1 on the competing Cash Box and Music Vendor singles charts.

The single is certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of over one million copies in the US.

Love Me Tender

"Love Me Tender" is a ballad song from the 20th Century Fox movie of the same name, released by Elvis Presley Music in 1956. The song is officially credited to Vera Matheson (although her husband Ken Darby was actually the author of the lyrics).

The melody is identical to the sentimental Civil War ballad "Aura Lea" (sometimes spelled "Aura Lee") and is therefore attributed to the composer of "Aura Lea," the Englishman George R. Poulton.

The recording, made by Elvis Presley at RCA Victor, took first place on the Billboard and Cashbox charts in 1956.