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TL;DR:

  • One songwriter was behind several Elvis Presley songs.
  • A remix of one of the songs became a hit in the 2000s.
  • Elvis’ songwriter had a strong reaction to this.
Elvis Presley playing a song on a guitar
Elvis Presley | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

After years of giving the world great songs, Elvis Presley died in 1977. That didn’t stop him from having hits in the 21st century. For example, a remix of one of his songs reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom in 2002. Elvis’ regular songwriter revealed his reaction to this.

1 songwriter was behind ‘In the Ghetto,’ ‘A Little Less Conversation,’ and other Elvis Presley songs

Mac Davis was a major songwriter. During the late 1960s, he wrote a handful of songs for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, including “In the Ghetto,” “Memories,” “Don’t Cry Daddy,” and “A Little Less Conversation.” Elvis released the original version of “A Little Less Conversation” in 1968. In 2002, Junkie XL created a dance remix of the song.

During a 2016 interview with The Tennessean, Davis said his friend Bobby Tomblin told him the remix was popular. “I was at home, and he just called up and he says ‘Hey congratulations on your hit,'” Davis recalled. “And I said ‘What hit?’ And he said ‘Your Elvis record.'”

How the song performed compared to Mac Davis’ other songs

Davis couldn’t believe Tomblin. “And I said ‘What Elvis record?'” Davis said. “He said ‘A Little Less Conversation.’ And I said ‘Man, that was 35 years ago or something.’ He said ‘No, it’s No. 1 in England right now.’ And I said ‘You’re kidding me.’ And I didn’t know anything at all about it. And I had no idea.”

Davis recalled what Tomblin said next. “He said ‘The remix. It’s a remix,'” Davis added. “And I said ‘I still don’t get it.’ And he said, ‘Well, it was in those Nike commercials for the World Cup Soccer match. I said ‘Oh my gosh.’ 

“And next thing I know, I started hearing it,” Davis continued. “I saw the commercial. And one thing led to another, and it turned out to be one of the biggest hits I ever had.”

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How Junkie XL’s remix of Elvis Presley’s ‘A Little Less Conversation’ performed on the charts

As Davis said, the remix of “A Little Less Conversation” became huge in the U.K. According to The Official Charts Company, the song was No. 1 for four weeks. It stayed on the chart for 20 weeks in total. Elvis’ estate released the tune on the album Elvis: 30 #1 Hits. Elvis: 30 #1 Hits reached No. 1 for two of its 130 weeks on the U.K. chart.

In the United States, Junkie XL’s remix of “A Little Less Conversation” was less popular. It peaked at No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for nine weeks. Meanwhile, Elvis: 30 #1 Hits became much more successful. For three weeks, it topped the Billboard 200. It remained on the chart for 119 weeks in total.

Junkie XL’s “A Little Less Conversation” became a hit and it proved Davis’ music was still entertaining people into the 21st century.

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