Even Now, Elvis Presley Love Songs Possess the Power to Move the Heart. Elvis Presley has been gone for longer than most people have lived. Despite that, his influence can still be seen throughout modern music, both because he is a direct source of inspiration and because he is an indirect source of inspiration to a wide range of modern musicians. For that matter, Elvis’ music still possesses the power to move the heart. His love songs are no exception to this rule.
Top 10 Elvis Presley Love Songs
#10 – Loving You
Elvis had a longstanding interest in acting. As a result, he debuted in Love Me Tender in 1956. Subsequently, Elvis Presley got his first starring role in Loving You in 1957. It is known he had mixed feelings about pairing his music with his movies because the sheer enthusiasm of his music fans prevented other people from seeing him as a serious actor. Still, it isn’t hard to see why he did it anyway. “Loving You” was just the B-side to “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear.” Even so, it reached the number 15 position on the country chart and the number 20 position on the pop chart in the United States.
#9 – (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear
Unsurprisingly, “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” did even better than its B-side. Specifically, it was the number-one song in the United States for seven weeks, though it was one of Elvis Presley’s four songs to manage that feat in that year. Amusingly, the lyrics for “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” talk about the singer being led around by a chain around his neck, which is a bit eyebrow-raising considering its title.
#8 – I Need Your Love Tonight
Elvis Presley got drafted in 1958. He was concerned about his two-year hiatus affecting his career. However, the people behind him prepared well, as shown by how they were able to maintain a steady rate of singles by using unreleased material. “I Need Your Love Tonight” was one of several songs recorded at a session in Nashville, TN during Elvis’ leave between basic and advanced military training. It isn’t the most complicated song ever released, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The song makes for enjoyable listening. Moreover, it is easy for interested individuals to sing along, though they should know that it does come with moments in which Elvis showed off his vocal range a bit.
#7 – Suspicious Minds
“Suspicious Minds” started as a Mark James song. It hadn’t been a hit for him. Still, he suggested it when the producer Chip Moman came looking for songs for a comeback album. It seems safe to say that Elvis found something to like about the song because he agreed to record it despite its less-than-glorious history at that point. Soon enough, a lot of people also found something to like about the song, so much so that they made it the number-one song in the United States. “Suspicious Minds” sees the singer caught in a very awkward, very uncomfortable situation. On the one hand, it is clear that he and his significant other don’t have the trust needed for a relationship to flourish in the long run; on the other hand, he isn’t quite ready to just let go because he loves her too much. Every relationship experiences tension from time to time, so it isn’t hard to see why “Suspicious Minds” would resonate with people.
#6 – And I Love You So
“And I Love You So” is yet another song Elvis covered to great success. To be exact, Don McLean had a hit with the original in 1970 and then Perry Como had another hit with the cover in 1973. Elvis’ cover in 1975 holds up quite well despite the competition. On the whole, “And I Love You So” is a heartening song even though it uses some gloomy, morose imagery. After all, the lyrics make it clear that love is exactly what will enable the singer to overcome the darkness in his life.
#5 – Burning Love
“Burning Love” is every bit as feverish as one would expect based on its name. Still, its lyrics contain a fair amount of sweetness, which explains why it had no problem becoming another major hit. Sadly, “Burning Love” came out in 1972, meaning it was also the last of Elvis’ Top Ten hits.
#4 – Love Me Tender
The melody for “Love Me Tender” came right from an American Civil War ballad called “Aura Lea.” However, it wouldn’t be what it is without Elvis. Naturally, his vocals contributed a great deal to the final result. Curiously, “Love Me Tender” also saw Elvis showing his skills as a producer because he adjusted everything to his liking, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, to his audience’s liking.
#3 – I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
“I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” came out in 1956, thus making it one of Elvis’ earlier recordings. People will find it as likable now as it was likable then. The funny thing is that the song also stirred up a fair amount of controversy in the mid-1950s even though its lyrics are quite tame by modern standards, which just goes to show that was a very different decade.
#2 – Always On My Mind
“Suspicious Minds” wasn’t the only time Elvis sang a song written by Mark James. After all, James has the co-songwriting credit for “Always On My Mind,” which is one of those rare songs that have been recorded dozens of times by dozens of artists. With that said, Elvis’ version remains either the best or one of the best, not least because he was the one who catapulted it to prominence in the popular consciousness by making it a hit. There is widespread speculation that “Always On My Mind” referenced Elvis’ marriage problems. One of the other songwriters Wayne Carson refuted that by saying the song had more universal inspiration than that.
#1 – Can’t Help Falling in Love
Whatever one thinks of Elvis’ acting, it was a boon for his music. If nothing else, it resulted in the creation of “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” which was recorded for the movie Blue Hawaii. Its lyrics are simple but memorable, though made that much better because of Elvis’ timeless performance. As such, there can be no doubt that “Can’t Help Falling in Love” ranks alongside the all-time greats of love songs. That is no small feat, considering the sheer number of love songs that have been released and continue to be released.
Don’t forget to check out some other cool Elvis Presley articles.
Thank You Very Much!
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Feature Photo: Photographer: Powell F. Krueger (died aged 94 on January 31, 2006), published by The Minneapolis Tribune, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Updated December 6, 2023
Top 10 Elvis Presley Love Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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