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TL;DR:

  • Lisa Marie Presley did a version of Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Cry Daddy” with her vocals and her dad’s.
  • Lisa Marie said the cover inspired a tradition in her life.
  • “Don’t Cry Daddy” became a hit for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Elvis Presley, Priscilla Presley, and Lisa Marie Presley by a wall
Elvis Presley, Priscilla Presley, and Lisa Marie Presley | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Lisa Marie Presley released her version of Elvis Presley‘s “Don’t Cry Daddy.” She explained why she decided to record the cover. Subsequently, the cover led her to start a tradition of covering her father’s tracks.

Lisa Marie Presley was asked if she listened to Elvis Presley’s songs when she was growing up

During a 2013 interview with HuffPost, Lisa Marie was asked which musicians she listened to when she was growing up. “So many … probably Elton John, Heart, Linda Ronstadt,” she said. “I was a fan of everything then. The Bee Gees … the disco thing came in.

“I also listened to a lot of country music: Patsy Cline, Tanya Tucker, Barbara Mandrell, Alabama, Lee Greenwood, Johnny Cash,” Lisa Marie added. Then, she was asked if she listened to her dad’s music when she was growing up. “Yeah I did, definitely,” she explained.

Lisa Marie Presley recorded new versions of Elvis Presley’s ‘Don’t Cry Daddy’ and other King of Rock ‘n’ Roll songs

Lisa Marie said she loved to sing for her entire life. She released a version of her dad’s song “Don’t Cry Daddy” that combined his vocals with new vocals from her. She was asked how this virtual duet came to be. “It was a last-minute idea that I had one year,” she said. “I called [record producer] David Foster who did the Natalie/Nat King Cole duet.” For context, Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole were father and daughter as well.

Lisa Marie said her virtual duet started a tradition. “And then I just started this little tradition where I did ‘In the Ghetto‘ and five years later I did ‘I Love You Because,'” she explained. “It was a tradition for the fans. It’s all for the fans. I haven’t released anything to the public. We always gather in Memphis every five years. I’m always there so I try to do something for them.”

How both versions of ‘Don’t Cry Daddy’ performed on the charts in the United States

The original version of “Don’t Cry Daddy” was a double A-side single with “Rubberneckin’.” The tracks reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks. “Don’t Cry Daddy” and Paul Oakenfold’s remix of “Rubberneckin'” both appeared on the compilation album Elvis: 2nd to None. The compilation peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 16 weeks. Notably, Conway Twitty recorded a cover of the song.

On the other hand, Lisa Marie’s take on “Don’t Cry Daddy” did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Notably, she never released the track on one of her studio albums.

“Don’t Cry Daddy” was a hit for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and it connected Lisa Marie to her father.

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