List of songs about or referencing Elvis Presley
The iconic nature of Elvis Presley in music and popular culture have often made him a subject of, or a touchstone in numerous songs, both in America and throughout the world. A few of Presley's own songs became huge hits in certain regions of the world, in versions whose translation into the required language bore little, or no resemblance to the original lyrics. For instance, "Good Rocking tonight", which Elvis made famous throughout the world, became "La voix d'Elvis", a story about how his voice and music inspired a generation of French youngsters to rebel against French colonialism in Algeria. Likewise, the title song to his fourth movie, "King Creole" (a reference to the name of a nightclub, in the movie), when translated into Spanish by Los Teen Tops, became "Rey del Rock", with lyrics which, irrespective of the fact his name was not actually mentioned, went on to explain, in detail, why Presley was given the title of Rock King.
Written in memory of, or explicitly and primarily about him
A-M
- "(619) 239-KING" by Mojo Nixon [1] [1]
- "A Century of Elvis" by Belle and Sebastian[1]
- "Dont Blame it on Elvis" by Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz
- "A Liddle Biddy Help from Elvis" Space
- "The All American Boy" by Bobby Bare (as Bill Parsons)[1][2]
- "Apparition In Las Vegas" Pete Atkin
- "Back to Tupelo" by Mark Knopfler [1]
- "Back 2 the Base" by X
- "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles [1]
- "Blue Moon Revisited (A Song For Elvis)" by Cowboy Junkies on The Trinity Session[3]
- "Boy From Tupelo" by Emmylou Harris [1]
- "Calling Elvis" by Dire Straits [1]
- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen
- "Cry Like Memphis" by Tamara Walker
- "Dead Elvis" by Doug Anthony All Stars
- "Dead Elvis" by Michael Daugherty
- "Dear 53310761" by The Threeteens with Duane Eddy
- "DisGraceland" by Alice Cooper
- "Ei edes Elvis loistossaan" (Not Even Elvis Even at His Prime) by M. A. Numminen
- "Elviksen kuolema" (Elvis's Death) by Eppu Normaali
- "Elvis" by Pat Green
- "Elvis" by Sister Hazel
- "Elvis Ain't Dead" by Scouting for Girls
- "Elvis and I" by Denis Leary
- "Elvis and Andy" by Confederate Railroad
- "Elvis Ate America" by Passengers (band) (an alias to U2)
- "Elvis Died for Our Sins" by Jon Downes and the Amphibians from Outer Space
- "Elvis Died Today" by Paul and Storm
- "Elvis Died for You" by Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction
- "Elvis Has Just Left The Building" by Frank Zappa
- "Elvis Has Left the Building" by Jerry Reed
- "Elvis Imitators" by Steve Goodman
- "Elvis in Germany" by Per Gessle
- "Elvis is Dead" by Living Colour
- "Elvis is Dead" by MxPx
- "Elvis is Dead" by Peter and the Test Tube Babies
- "Elvis is Everywhere" by Mojo Nixon
- "Elvis Lives" by Subway to Sally
- "Elvis, Marilyn and James Dean" by The Bellamy Brothers
- "Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar in My Soul" by KLF
- "Elvis's TV" by Spiders & Snakes
- "Elvis on Velvet" by Stray Cats
- "Elvis Presley and America" by U2
- "Elvis Presley Blues" by Gillian Welch
- "Elvis Presley Blues" by Jimmy Buffett
- "Elvis Stole My Gal" - Vernon Pullins
- "Elvis Was a Narc" by Pinkard and Bowden
- "Elvis Was a Skinhead" by The Ataris
- "Elvis Went to Hollywood" by Counting Crows
- "Elvisly Yours" by The Johnnys
- "Ethän vertaa mua Elvikseen" (Please Don't Compare Me to Elvis) by Kari Peitsamon Skootteri
- "Everything Zen" by Bush
- "From Graceland to the Promised Land" by Merle Haggard
- "Goodbye Elvis" by Will Tura
- "Goodbye Priscilla (Bye Bye Baby Blue)" by Gene Summers
- "Happy Birthday Elvis" by Loudon Wainwright III
- "Hound Dog Man" by Roy Orbison
- "House of Cards" by Steve Forbert
- "He was the King" by Neil Young
- "Hey Elvis" by Bryan Adams
- "I Remember Elvis Presley" by Danny Mirror
- "I Saw Elvis at Wal-Mart" by Billy Walker
- "I Saw Elvis in a UFO" by Ray Stevens
- "I Saw Mr. Presley Tip-toeing Through The Tulips" by Tiny Tim
- "I Try to Think About Elvis" by Patty Loveless
- "I Want Elvis for Christmas" by Eddie Cochran & the Holly Twins
- "Is The King Still Alive" by Johnny Harra
- "Jesus Mentioned" by Warren Zevon
- "Johnny Bye, Bye" by Bruce Springsteen
- "The King & Eye" by The Residents [4]
- "The King Is Gone" by Ronnie McDowell
- "The King Knows How" by Over The Rhine
- "King Rocker" by Generation X
- "King of the Mountain" by Kate Bush[5]
- "King's Call" by Phil Lynott
- "La voix d'Elvis" by Eddy Mitchell
- "Lights Out" by Lisa Marie Presley
- "Mama's In the Sky With Elvis" by Ray Stevens
- "Me and Elvis" by Human Radio
- "Moon Dog" by Prefab Sprout
N-Z
- "Nobody Noticed It" by Lisa Marie Presley
- "Pass Me By" by Insane Clown Posse
- "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode
- "Porcelain Monkey" by Warren Zevon
- "Porch Swing in Tupelo" by Elton John
- "Real Good Looking Boy" by The Who
- "Reminisce Cafe" by Gene Summers
- "Rockin' With Elvis" by Jimmy Velvit
- "Singing with Angels" by Suzi Quatro[6]
- "Still" by Linda Ann McConnell
- "That's Why" by John Gorka
- "That Ain't Elvis Playing Piano" by Eighteen Visions
- "The All American Boy" by Bill Parsons
- "The Elvis Letter" by Wayne Newton
- "The Day Elvis Died" by Boxcar Willie
- "The King is Gone" by Ronnie McDowell
- "The King of Rock and Roll" by Dio
- "The Only King" by The Everybodyfields
- "The Whole World Misses You (We Miss You Elvis)" by Carl Perkins
- "This Ain't Vegas and You Ain't Elvis" by Spitfire
- "Tupelo" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
- "Tupelo Mississippi Flash" by Jerry Reed
- "Went to See the Gypsy" by Bob Dylan
- "We Remember The King" by Johnny Cash featuring Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis
- "Where's Elvis?" by M-Phazes and Drapht
Substantial reference
- "Advertising Space" by Robbie Williams
- "Alcohol and Pills" by Todd Snider
- "American Pie" by Don McLean
- "Big Train from Memphis" by John Fogerty [1]
- "Bigger Than the Beatles" by Joe Diffie
- "Bigger than Elvis" by Chicago
- "Braille" by Regina Spektor [1]
- "Bringin' Out the Elvis" by Faith Hill
- "Buried Next to the King" by Zombie Ghost Train
- "Calling Elvis" by Dire Straits
- "Carl Perkins Cadillac" by Drive-By Truckers
- "Disgraceland" by Alice Cooper
- "Do You Remember?" by The Beach Boys
- "Double-headed Elvis" by Per Gessle
- "The Drag Queens of Memphis" by Sponge
- "Elvis" by AOA_(band)[7]
- "Elvis" by Lana Del Rey
- "Elvis, Be True" by Liz Phair
- "Elvis está vivo" ("Elvis is alive") by Andrés Calamaro
- "Elvis, Marvin and John" by Dion, to the tune of Dion's hit "Abraham, Martin and John".
- "Elvis Presley Boulevard" by Billy Joel
- "Elvis Was a Narc" by Pinkard and Bowden
- "From Galway to Graceland" by Richard Thompson
- "From Graceland To The Promised Land" by Merle Haggard
- "Goin' to Graceland" by Dead Milkmen
- "Hallucinating Elvis" by Duran Duran
- "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" by Neil Young
- "Jesse" by Scott Walker
- "Jesus and Elvis" by Greg Brown
- "John and Elvis Are Dead" by George Michael
- "Johnny Bye Bye" by Bruce Springsteen (Update of the Chuck Berry song)
- "Just Like New" by Wynonna Judd
- "Lights Out" by Lisa Marie Presley
- "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" from the musical Grease
- "Looking for Elvis" by Patti Scialfa
- "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" by Neil Young
- "My Boy Elvis" by Janis Martin
- "Postcard from Elvis" by Tex, Don and Charlie
- "Pretend I'm Elvis For Just One Night" by Terry Scott Taylor
- "Return of the Grievous Angel" by Gram Parsons
- "Riding with the King" by John Hiatt
- "Tennessee Plates" by John Hiatt
- "The King is Gone (So Are You)" by George Jones
- "There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" by Kirsty MacColl (also recorded as Killen ner' på Konsum svär att han är Elvis by Elisabeth Andreassen)
- "Things Change" Tim McGraw
- "Too Late to Die Young" by Dan Bern
- "When Elvis Sings" by Fabian Lapham
- "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn
- "Worthless Thing" by Elvis Costello
- "You Are Like Elvis" by Diane Cluck
Nominal reference
- "1959" by John Anderson
- "1977" by The Clash
- "A Century of Elvis" by Belle and Sebastian
- "A Growing Boy Needs His Lunch" by Dead Kennedys
- "A Hundred and One" by Bryan White
- "A Lot of Things Different" by Kenny Chesney
- "A Rock N' Roll Fantasy" by The Kinks
- "All I Want To Do" by Sugarland
- "All My Friends Say" by Luke Bryan
- "American" by Lana Del Rey
- "American Ride" by Willie Nile
- "Angel" by Eurythmics
- "Armageddon" by Prism
- "August and Everything After" by Counting Crows
- "Body Electric" by Lana Del Rey
- "Born to be Sold" by Transvision Vamp
- "Bringing Out The Elvis" by Faith Hill
- "Bubba Hyde" by Diamond Rio
- "Dancing With Elvis" by Gina Jeffreys
- "The Delivery Man" by Elvis Costello
- "Do You Remember" by The Beach Boys
- "Eddy Eddy" by Angélica María
- "Elvis" by Kent
- "Elvis and His Boss" by The Residents
- "Elvis and Me" by Dance Hall Crashers
- "Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier" by Manic Street Preachers
- "Elvis Impersonator Blues" by Beasts of Bourbon
- "Everybody's Making it Big But Me" by Dr Hook (Billed as Dr Hook and the Medicine Show)
- "Everything Zen" by Bush
- "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy
- "FM (No Static at All)" by Steely Dan
- "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty
- "God" by John Lennon
- "Gone" by Switchfoot
- "Gonna Drive Em Up A Wall" by Gene Summers
- "Graceland" by Dan Bern
- "Graceland" by Paul Simon
- "Hawaiian Tropic" by Lana Del Rey
- "High Lonesome" by The Gaslight Anthem
- "I Predict" by Sparks
- "I Still Believe" by Frank Turner
- "I Try to Think About Elvis" by Patty Loveless
- "If Dirt Were Dollars" by Don Henley
- "The Iridescent Pink Sock Blues" by Ol' 55
- "It won't happen with me" by Jerry Lee Lewis
- "It's All In Your Head" by Diamond Rio
- "Juanita" by Jack Ingram
- "Johnny Ryall" by Beastie Boys
- "Karma" by Diffuser
- "Last Name" by Carrie Underwood
- "Lewis Boogie" by Jerry Lee Lewis
- "Little Man" by Alan Jackson
- "Lizzy" by Melvins
- "Made in England" by Elton John
- "Man on the Moon" by R.E.M.
- "Maybe Angels" by Sheryl Crow
- "Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis" by Brand New
- "Mission Drive" by The Wonder Stuff
- "Megalomaniac" by Incubus
- "Mmm Skyscraper I Love You" by Underworld
- "Name and Address" by Wings
- "New Kid (On the Block)" by Barenaked Ladies
- "Nobody Knows" by Paul Brady[8]
- "Paint Me on Velvet" by Austin Lounge Lizards
- "Petty Sessions" by Half Man Half Biscuit
- "Poparazzi" by Switchfoot
- "Public Park" by Ballboy
- "Queen of Memphis" by Confederate Railroad
- "Reminisce Cafe" by Gene Summers
- "Restin' Bones" by Primus
- "Rock 'n' Roll Christmas" by George Thorogood and the Destroyers
- "Rock 'n' Roll Kids" by Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan
- "Rockstar" by Nickelback
- "Round Here" by Counting Crows
- "Satisfied" by Darden Smith
- "Say It Isn't So" by Bon Jovi
- "Send It Up" by Kanye West
- "Ska vi älska, så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly" by Gyllene Tider
- "Show Me" by Over the Rhine
- "Sidewinder" by Lard
- "Stars of Warburton" by Midnight Oil
- "Sunday Dress" by Dala
- "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain
- "Thank U" by Sara Craig
- "The Fifties Suck" by Pinkard and Bowden
- "The King is Gone (So Are You)" by George Jones
- "The Playboy Mansion" by U2
- "Typical Town" by Dean Friedman
- "The Spirit of Rock and Roll" by Brian Wilson
- "The Windfall (Everything for Nothing)" by Joni Mitchell
- "Up Your Speed" by Sway DaSafo
- "Velvet Elvis" by Adrenalin O.D.
- "Velvet Elvis" by Ralston Bowles
- "Velvet Elvis" by STIR
- "Velvet Elvis" by Alex Winston
- "Velvet Elvis" by "Weird Al" Yankovic
- "When" by Shania Twain
- "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel
- "You're Never Too Old to Rock" by Bill Haley's Comets
- "Wendy Under The Stars" by Odds
- "What You Want?" by Notorious B.I.G. with Jay-Z
- "White December" by Kylie Minogue
- "White Privilege" by Macklemore
- "White Privilege II" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Jamila Woods
- "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" by George Jones
- "Without Me" by Eminem
- "You Do Not Belong (Teenage Suicide)" by Donovan
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Return To Sender: Author Howard F Banney, Discography of Elvis Tribute & Novelty Records, First Edition, Pierian Press, 1987
- ↑ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 7 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies. [Part 1] : UNT Digital Library" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
- ↑ Timmins, Mike. "The Trinity Session". Cowboy Junkies. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
it is also our acknowledgment of Elvis Presley who stands alone as a rock music pioneer. Our version of Blue Moon relies heavily on Elvis's interpretation which he recorded for Sun records.
- ↑ MacDonald, Steven The King & Eye at AllMusic
- ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/8381149/Kate-Bushs-biggest-hits.html
- ↑ Anderson, Will. "Interview With Suzi Quatro". www.singingbassist.com. The Singing Bassist. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- ↑ http://colorcodedlyrics.com/2012/07/aoa-ace-of-angels-elvis
- ↑ "Nobody Knows". paulbrady.com. Retrieved 5 February 2016.