Elvis Presley Recorded This Song and Turned It Into His Final No. 1 Hit

Elvis Presley is undoubtedly the King of rock 'n' roll. His music, a mash-up of country, gospel, and rhythm and blues, not only revolutionized the 1950s and beyond, but his distinct voice, electric dance moves, and magnetic persona did too. Beyond his influence on music, his talent graced the big and small screen, and he defined what it meant to be a triple threat. Today, his legacy is synonymous with the word' icon,' and it's hard to believe that during his lifetime, anyone could outmatch his talent. And while Presley certainly had many memorable moments throughout his prolific career, tragically cut short by his untimely death at the age of 42, his song, "Suspicious Minds," was not only his last number one hit, but also perfectly encapsulated his stellar career.

One Of Elvis Presley's Last Songs Was Also His Last Hit Single

The year was 1968. The year that arguably made Elvis Presley an absolute legend. It was a pivotal moment in his career, marking his return to the stage after a seven-year hiatus during which he focused on his lucrative acting career. The concert, dubbed 'Singer Presents... Elvis and the '68 Comeback Special' aired on NBC on December 3. The special would later become the most-watched show on NBC that entire season and was lauded by critics, most of whom, then and now, agreed that Presley was one of the greatest living performers ever. A year following his legendary performance, Presley released what would later become his final ever number one hit, "Suspicious Minds." Released in 1969, the nearly five-minute-long country rock and soul track was a remake of the original track written and sung by American singer and songwriter Mark James, the latter of whom was heavily involved in the recording process much to Presley's chagrin.

In addition to that, the song was almost never released due to a copyright dispute, which was later settled in Presley's favor. The track details a tumultuous relationship caused by mistrust, which includes the lyrics: "We're caught in a trap/ I can't walk out/ Because I love you too much, baby/ Why can't you see/ What you're doing to me/ When you don't believe a word I say?" The song not only reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 but is also widely recognized as one of Presley's best songs, and it was ranked by Rolling Stone as the 91st best song of all time in 2003. Although Presley would later release other songs such as "Clean Up Your Own Backyard" and "Don't Cry Daddy," none of them had the same impact as "Suspicious Minds" has and continues to have to this day. As mentioned previously, it was to be Presley's last hit single before he died on August 16, 1977, from a heart attack. "Suspicious Minds" remains in the hearts of many fans, who feel as if the song is a fitting tribute to Presley's prolific career. As one fan wrote about the song in the official music video on YouTube "I love this song so much. The lyrics, singing, the vocals, the progression. It just hits emotionally in a way very few songs can. Elvis remains the King of rock n' roll."

Elvis Presley Hated His Hit Song "Burning Love"

Even though Elvis Presley loved "Suspicious Minds" and from the beginning revealed to his associates that he knew it was going to be a big hit, the singer was also his own worst critic. Case in point, the 1972 track "Burning Love" was, by Presley's own admission, his least favorite song. In fact, according to the music publication Grunge, the crooner not only didn't want to record the song, he also hated it! As recounted by the publication, Presley had, towards the end of his career, wanted to sing more somber songs and veer away from blues-themed rock 'n' roll tracks. The reason behind this sudden shift in creative expression, according to the blog Music Weird, is that Presley's marriage to Priscilla was coming to an end.

Regardless of the reason, music executives were unhappy with Presley's previously low record sales and pushed him towards keeping up with the blues and rock 'n' roll genres that had made him famous. Despite protests, executives persuaded him to record the rock and soul track "Burning Love." The song became a massive hit for Pressley and arguably one of his most iconic, but it was also to be his last mainstream song. According to Paul Simpson's biography, "The Rough Guide to Elvis: The Man, The Music, The Movies, The Myth," not only did Presley continue to severely dislike "Burning Love," he also "sang it as rarely as possible." In another book about Presley, titled "I and A Guy Named Elvis," author and former Presley associate Jerry Schilling went deeper into Presley's aversion to "Burning Love." Schilling recounted that Presley couldn't keep track of the song's frantic, disjointed lyrics. "Elvis," he wrote, "who had close to a photographic memory when it came to books, scripts, lyrics—always insisted that he needed a lyric sheet to perform 'Burning Love.'"