Patty Loveless’ ‘I Try to Think About Elvis’ Was Much More Sexual at 1st
Elvis Presley was a massive sex symbol. He’s mentioned prominently in Patty Loveless’ “I Try to Think About Elvis,” a song that was initially very sexual. The track’s writer explained how “I Try to Think About Elvis” evolved into something with more radio appeal.
Patty Loveless’ ‘I Try to Think About Elvis’ might have been relatable in the worst way
“I Try to Think About Elvis” is a song about a woman who feels she thinks about her lover too much. She attempts to focus on a litany of other topics, including Elvis, hair-dos, tattoos, sushi bars, and saxophones. Of course, she fails and the man she loves stays on her mind. I guess the song could be a cousin of “Always on My Mind!”
The track was penned by Gary Burr, one of Ringo Starr’s regular collaborators. During a 2024 interview with The Tennessean, Burr discussed the original version of “I Try to Think About Elvis.” “I always joke when I sing it live,” Burr said, laughing. “I tell the audience I need to explain the song. It’s like when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much and the daddy wants to show that love for a longer period of time, he has to think of things in his head to preoccupy himself. That’s what this song is about. It’s a list of things the guy is thinking to himself. We’ll leave it at that.”
Perhaps some men would have been able to relate to the original version of the song. Maybe men would have related to it to an uncomfortable degree! Regardless, it sounds like Burr’s vision for the track was too vulgar for the radio.
The track had to be rewritten for Patty Loveless
The track was initially too masculine for Loveless’ taste. It featured references to both firearms and football. Burr went back and rewrote the song.
“I went back in and put in the lines about high heels, good deals, and talk shows to take out some of the more testosterony stuff,” Burr recalled. “It was tremendous pressure because you know if you don’t do the rewrite properly, you lose the cut. I sweated it out and the next thing I know they brought it for me to listen to. I did and it was tremendous.”
How ‘I Try to Think About Elvis’ performed
“I Try to Think About Elvis” became one of Loveless’ biggest songs. It did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 but country hits don’t often crack the pop charts. “I Try to Think About Elvis” appeared on the album When Fallen Angels Fly. That record reached No. 60 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 46 weeks. It remains the most commercially successful album of Loveless’ career.
When Fallen Angels Fly produced three other singles: “Here I Am,” “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am,” and “Halfway Down.” That album, and Loveless’ career as a whole, helped make the 1990s a golden age for women in country music. While she wasn’t as big as Shania Twain or Faith Hill, Loveless proved that women could be big names in her genre.
“I Try to Think About Elvis” is a fun country song and it could have been a lot racier.
