Listen to “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis PresleyĪxton and Durden certainly gave “Heartbreak Hotel” a very distinctive premise. The song is also listed at #347 on the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. It was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1995. In addition to its success in various charts, “Heartbreak Hotel” also left its mark on the music industry. “Heartbreak Hotel” also found its way to #5 on the Rhythm & Blues Records chart, which is an achievement in itself, as the chart was usually dominated by African-Americans. In addition, the song marked Presley’s UK debut and secured the #2 spot on the UK Singles Chart. In 1956, it spent seven weeks at the top of the Billboard Top 100 and ranked #1 on the Country and Western chart as well. “Heartbreak Hotel” slowly gained momentum, eventually becoming the song that is synonymous with the name Elvis Presley.ĭespite its slow start, “Heartbreak Hotel” was a commercial success. The song had a slow start at the beginning but gained in popularity as Presley made his television debut on the Stage Show. However, Sholes decided to place faith in Presley’s acumen and pushed for “Heartbreak Hotel” to be released as a single on January 27, 1956.

Producer Steve Sholes was uncertain whether “Heartbreak Hotel” would be a success, especially as it deviated from Presley’s previous records at Sun. The song was recorded during the time when Presley was making the transition from Sun Records to the more popular RCA Victor. Presley heard the demo being played once and had taken an immediate liking to it, saying “Hot dog, Mrs. Then “Heartbreak Hotel” found its way to a young Presley who was just starting out his career. However, they had refused the song, claiming that it had no commercial value. And so “Heartbreak Hotel” at the end of the ‘lonely street’ was born! The pair wanted the song to be recorded by the Wilburn Brothers at first. The incident left an impact on Durden who wanted to make it into a song.

“Tommy came over and showed me a story in the paper about a man who had rid himself of his identity, written a one-line sentence, ‘I walk a lonely street’, and then killed himself.”

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