Elvis Presley did not write his own music. Big hits like “Hound Dog”, “Suspicious Minds”, and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” were all written by other songwriters. When Dolores Diamond asked Elvis how he wrote songs without being able to read music in a 1957 interview, Elvis replied: “It’s all a big hoax, honey. I never wrote a song in my life. I get one-third of the credit for recording it. It makes me look smarter than I am.”
“I’ve never even had an idea for a song. Just once, maybe,” Elvis continued. “I went to bed one night, had quite a dream, and woke up all shook up. I phoned a pal and told him about it. By morning, he had a new song, ‘All Shook Up.” Elvis received a co-writing credit on the song because he came up with the title phrase.
Other Songs Elvis Presley Received Co-Writing Credit For
In addition to “All Shook Up”, there are several more songs Elvis Presley received co-writing credit for. Notable ones are “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Love Me Tender”, and “Don’t Be Cruel”. Not that Elvis wrote any of these songs, though. Most writing credits he received were publishing deals made by his manager Tom Parker, which are in part responsible for the ongoing discussion around Elvis’ integrity. Other co-writing credits Elvis received were because of small lyrical contributions or song ideas.
Out of the more than 700 songs Elvis Presley recorded, he received co-writing credits on the following 10 songs:
- Heartbreak Hotel (publishing deal)
- Don’t Be Cruel (publishing deal)
- Love Me Tender (publishing deal)
- Let Me (publishing deal)
- Poor Boy (publishing deal)
- We’re Gonna Move (publishing deal)
- Paralyzed (publishing deal)
- All Shook Up (title contribution)
- That’s Someone You Never Forget (title/lyrical contribution)
- You’ll Be Gone (idea/lyrical contribution)
While Elvis Presley was a multiskilled entertainer and singer, he wasn’t a gifted songwriter.
Read more: The Story Behind “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley
