The story behind the song
My Wish Came True is a romantic pop ballad created by R&B singer-songwriter Ivory Joe Hunter and performed by Elvis Presley. Even though it was recorded in 1957, RCA Victor kept it unreleased, and it finally came out in 1959 while Elvis was stationed in the U.S. Army in Germany.
Elvis recorded the track on September 6, 1957, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California. The recording session was originally planned for Elvis’s Christmas Album, but Elvis took the opportunity to record some non-Christmas songs he really wanted to do, like My Wish Came True and Don’t.
The recording featured Elvis’ usual studio musicians—Scotty Moore playing guitar, Bill Black on bass, and D.J. Fontana on drums—plus the soulful vocals of The Jordanaires and a unique high-pitched backup part sung by soprano Millie Kirkham.
Even though it was just a B-side and Elvis wasn’t around to promote it, the song turned out to be a huge success on its own. It showed up on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1959 and reached its highest point at No. 12 on August 22, 1959. The song also did really well on the R&B charts, hitting No. 2 on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart.
Later in 1959, the song was included on the compilation album 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong: Elvis’ Gold Records, Vol. 2.
AT A GLANCE