Elvis Outright Refused to Record This Classic Kids’ Song

Though Elvis Presley did not write his own songs, he exercised creative control over his recording sessions. This sometimes necessitated pushing back against musical arrangements or refusing to record certain songs altogether. During one session, Elvis adamantly refused to record two songs, including one children’s holiday classic.

Elvis Presley was not happy when people tried to get him to record a children’s song

In 1957, Elvis was under a great deal of career and personal pressure. He was a rapidly rising star, but he worried all his success would slip from his grasp as the reality of military service loomed. His mother’s health was also declining. Therefore, his spirits were not high when he arrived at the recording studio in February of that year. 

Elvis aimed to record five songs. During a break, however, music publisher Jean Aberbach placed the lyrics to “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” on Elvis’ music stand. He believed the children’s song would sell well for the upcoming Easter holiday. Elvis disagreed.

“After the break,” music producer Freddy Bienstock said in the book The Colonel by Alanna Nash, “Elvis came into the studio and looked at the song and said, ‘Who brought that Br’er Rabbit s*** in here?’”

He disregarded the song entirely. When the group moved on to record the next song, called “Castles in the Sand,” Elvis sang four bars before stopping and announcing, “I’m not going to do this goddamn song.”

He rarely defied his manager in this way

While Parker had nothing to do with the potential recording of “Here Comes Peter Cottontail,” he had wanted Elvis to record “Castles in the Sand.” Elvis’ open defiance came as a shock. He very rarely did this. He typically did not push back against Parker, even when he disagreed with his decisions. 

“I wanted desperately to help him, but I wasn’t sure how,” Priscilla Presley wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “In my innocence, I kept trying to convince him to argue with the Colonel. But he would only get angry, saying I didn’t know what I was talking about.”

Elvis’ irritation made him feel despondent and listless in his dream career.

“The more frustrations increased, the more pressure he felt and this resulted in his manifesting physical illness,” Priscilla explained. “Specifically to handle depression, he was now prescribed antidepressants. His enormous creative gifts were being squandered and he couldn’t face it.” 

Elvis ultimately recorded a number of songs for children

While Elvis refused to sing “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” in 1957, he ultimately recorded several songs for children. In 1978, one year after his death, Elvis’ record label released the album Elvis Sings for Children and Grownups Too. The album included songs like “Old MacDonald,” “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear,” and “Cotton Candy Land.”

Though RCA hoped to capitalize on Elvis’ popularity even after his death, the album was not a commercial success.