Elvis Presley’s Songwriter Said It Was a ‘Shame’ 1 Song Wasn’t a Single
Not all of Elvis Presley‘s great songs became singles. For example, one of his songwriters was really disappointed a song he wrote for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll never became a single. There was only one way American listeners could purchase the song.
1 of Elvis Presley’s songwriters explained what it was like writing songs for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Paul Evans is a songwriter who penned a number of tracks for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Some of the songs he wrote for Elvis are “I Gotta Know,” “The Next Step Is Love,” and “Blue River.” In his 2021 book Happy Go Lucky Me: A Lifetime of Music, Evans discussed how he got his songs to the “Can’t Help Falling in Love” singer.
“Perhaps the most important publishing company in the Brill Building was Julian and Jean Aberbach’s publishing company, Hill & Range Music,” Evans wrote. “It was noted for its great success in Nashville’s country music industry and had an office located on the top floor of the Brill Building. The Aberbachs’ cousin, Freddy Bienstock, ran their sub-company, Elvis Presley Music.”
Why Paul Evans liked 1 of the songs he wrote for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll so much
Evans discussed his song “Something Blue.” “The second song of mine that Elvis recorded was ‘Something Blue,'” he wrote. “It was released in the U.K. as the B-side of ‘Kiss Me Quick,'” written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. Unfortunately, it was never released as a single in America.”
Evans revealed how the song was released in the U.S. “It was only released as an album cut in Elvis’ Pot Luck album in 1962,” he said. “What a shame.”
“Something Blue” impressed Evans. “I believe it was one of the best lyrics by my co-writer, Al Byron: ‘Something borrowed was the heart I gave you/You returned it torn in two/And that’s why I’m something blue,'” he said.
The way Elvis Presley’s song ‘Something Blue’ and ‘Kiss Me Quick’ performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
Because it was never a single, “Something Blue” did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. On the other hand, “Kiss Me Quick” became a minor hit. It reached No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for six weeks. Both tracks appeared on the album Pot Luck. The album did not chart on the Billboard 200.
“Kiss Me Quick” became a bigger hit in the United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, the song reached No. 14 in the U.K. and stayed on the chart for 10 weeks. Meanwhile, Pot Luck was No. 1 for six of its 25 weeks on the chart.
“Something Blue” was not a hit — but Evans was proud of it.
