Elvis Presley: The Top 100 Songs

First posted 8/18/2012; updated 1/5/2020.

Elvis Presley image from goldderby.com

Singer Elvis Aron Presley was born 1/8/1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. He died in Memphis on 8/16/77 of heart failure caused by prescription drug abuse. Often called “The King of Rock and Roll,” his role as the pioneering artist of the genre made him the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. His family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 13. He began his recording career there in 1954 at Sun Records. On 11/22/55, he signed to RCA Victor in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who managed Elvis for more than two decades. In 1956, he starred in Love Me Tender, his first of 31 feature films. He served in the U.S. Army from 3/24/58 to 3/5/60. He married Priscilla Beaulieu on 5/1/67; divorced on 10/11/73. Their only child, Lisa Marie (born 2/1/68), married Michael Jackson on 5/26/94; divorced in 1996. Six of his songs (“Don’t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Suspicious Minds,” and “It’s Now or Never”) are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999. His Sun Sessions collection is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time.

Awards:

Top 100 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Songs which hit #1 on various charts are noted. (Click for codes to singles charts.) DMDB Top 1%: 1. Don’t Be Cruel (1956) #1 US, CW, RB 2. Heartbreak Hotel (1956) #1 US, CW 3. Hound Dog (1956) #1 US, RW 4. Jailhouse Rock (1957) #1 US, CW, RB, UK 5. Suspicious Minds (1969) #1 US 6. Love Me Tender (1956) #1 US 7. All Shook Up (1957) #1 US, CW, RB, UK 8. It’s Now or Never (1960) #1 US, UK 9. Are You Lonesome Tonight? (1960) #1 US, UK 10. That’s All Right (1954) 11. Can’t Help Falling in Love (1961) #1 AC, UK 12. Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear (1957) #1 CW, RB DMDB Top 5%: 13. Mystery Train (1955) 14. In the Ghetto (1969) 15. Return to Sender (1962) #1 UK 16. Stuck on You (1960) #1 US 17. Now and Then There’s a Fool Such As I (1958) #1 UK 18. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You (1956) #1 US, CW 19. Surrender (1960) #1 US, UK 20. Burning Love (1972) 21. Good Luck Charm (1961) #1 US, UK 22. Don’t (1957) #1 US 23. The Wonder of You (1970) #1 AC, UK 24. Too Much (1956) #1 US 25. Blue Moon (1954) 26. Blue Suede Shoes (1956) 27. A Little Less Conversation (JXL remix, 2002) #1 UK 28. One Night (1957) #1 UK 29. Crying in the Chapel (1960) #1 AC, UK 30. Kentucky Rain (1969) DMDB Top 10%: 31. Hard Headed Woman (1958) #1 US 32. Any Way You Want Me (1956) 33. My Way (live, 1973) 34. You’re the Devil in Disguise (1963) #1 UK 35. A Big Hunk O’ Love (1958) #1 US 36. Wooden Heart (1960) #1 UK 37. Marie’s the Name His Latest Flame (1961) #1 UK 38. Wear My Ring Around Your Neck (1958) #1 RB 39. Little Sister (1961) #1 UK 40. Way Down (1976) #1 CW, UK 41. I Need Your Love Tonight (1958) 42. Viva Las Vegas (1963) 43. Always on My Mind (1972) 44. She’s Not You (1962) #1 UK 45. Blue Christmas (1957) 46. You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me (1970) #1 AC 47. My Boy (1974) #1 AC DMDB Top 20%: 48. Rock-A-Hula Baby (1961) #1 UK 49. Ain’t That Loving you Baby (1958) 50. Don’t Cry Daddy (1969) 51. Hurt (1976) 52. Frankie and Johnny (1965) 53. T-R-O-U-B-L-E (1975) 54. Moody Blue (1976) #1 CW 55. I Got Stung (1958) #1 UK 56. I Beg of You (1957) 57. Guitar Man (1967) #1 CW 58. Promised Land (1973) 59. Doncha Think It’s Time (1958) 60. Blue Moon of Kentucky (1954) 61. You’ll Never Walk Alone (1967) 62. Bossa Nova Baby (1963) 63. Love Letters (1966) 64. Follow That Dream (1962) 65. I’m Yours (1961) #1 AC 66. I’ve Lost You (1970) 67. One Broken Heart for Sale (1963) 68. I Feel So Bad (1961) 69. Blue River (1963) 70. If I Can Dream (live, 1968) 71. I Really Don’t Want to Know (1970) 72. Tell Me Why (1957) 73. Loving You (1957) 74. Puppet on a String (1965) 75. Love Me (1956) 76. Clean Up Your Own Back Yard (1968) 77. Playing for Keeps (1957) 78. I Was the One (1956) 79. U.S. Male (1968) 80. Treat Me Nice (1957) 81. I Just Can’t Help Believin’ (live, 1970) 82. Separate Ways (1972) 83. Such an Easy Question (1962) #1 AC 84. Baby Let’s Play House (1955) 85. What’d I Say (1963) 86. Wild in the Country (1961) 87. My Wish Came True (1957) 88. Such a Night (1960) 89. I Forgot to Remember to Forget (1955) #1 CW 90. If You Talk in Your Sleep (1974) 91. Until It’s Time for You to Go (1971) 92. Kissin’ Cousins (1964) 93. Memories (live, 1968) 94. Unchained Melody (1977) Not in DMDB Top 20%: 95. I’m Leavin’ (1971) 96. An American Trilogy (1972) 97. I’ve Got a Thing About You Baby (1974) 98. All That I Am (1966) 99. Do the Clam (1965) 100. Good Rockin’ Tonight (1954) Resources and Related Links: Elvis Presley’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry

Today in Music (1960): Elvis hit #1 with “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”

Are You Lonesome Tonight? Elvis Presley

Writer(s): Lou Handman, Roy Turk (see lyrics here) Released: November 1, 1960 First Charted: November 7, 1960 Peak: 16 BB, 16 CB, 15 GR, 14 HR, 22 CW, 3 RB, 14 UK, 11 CN, 16 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 1.0 UK, 9.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 45.1 video, 85.91 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Are You Lonesome Tonight?,” “one of the more woebegone songs ever written,” SF was penned by Tin Pan Alley songwriters Roy Turk and Lou Handman in 1926. It included a narration based on a speech from William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. It was first recorded by Al Jolson FB and soon after by Vaughn Deleath and Henry Burr. It was revived in 1950 by bandleader Blue Barron KL and made popular again in 1959 by Jaye P. Morgan. FB Barron and Jolson’s versions of the song included the spoken word section, but it wasn’t in all the versions. SF Prior to managing Elvis Presley, Colonel Tom Parker was the manager for singer Gene Austin. One of his best numbers was “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” and a favorite of Parker’s wife Marie. TC He asked Elvis to record it on behalf of his wife. KL Elvis obliged on April 4, 1960, copying “Jolson’s arrangement note for note and almost word for word.” KL The session had “the intimacy of a man singing close to the microphone in the wee small hours.” TC The spoken word section “becomes a lover’s conversation.” TC Some people were bothered by what they perceived as Elvis’ move away from rock and roll. Indeed he “had grown up considerably since his hard rockin’ days,” TC upon his return from army service in Germany, but this wasn’t exactly a new direction. In 1958, he released “another lost love song with a narration.” KL The B-side for “All Shook Up” was “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin,” a song associated with the Ink Spots. KL The song was featured on the EP Flaming Star, which wasn’t really a soundtrack to the Elvis movie of the same name since it was his first film to feature him in a dramatic, non-singing role. “Lonesome” was Elvis’ 14th song to top the U.S. pop charts. It debuted at #35, higher than any other Elvis song had entered the chart up to that point. It was on top of the chart two weeks later. It was also his sixth #1 in the UK. Resources: FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 81. TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Pages 31-2. KL Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits: The Stories Behind Every Number One Single Since 1952. London, Great Britain: Omnibus Press. Page 73. SF Songfacts Related Links: First posted 3/19/2021; last updated 5/14/2025.