The story behind the song
According to Elvis History Blog, the public anticipation for Elvis’s return was so immense that RCA Victor took a massive gamble before the Stuck On You was even selected or recorded. In early March 1960, the label printed over 1.4 million record sleeves featuring a die-cut hole in the center to display whatever title would eventually be pressed on the vinyl. The sleeve boldly declared, “Elvis’ 1st new recording for his 50,000,000 fans all over the world”, effectively securing an instant gold record on blind faith alone.
Written by Aaron Schroeder and J. Leslie McFarland, Elvis recorded the mid-tempo blues shuffle on March 20, 1960. The session took place at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee. Backed by The Jordanaires and his usual studio musicians, sadly the session also marked the final time longtime bandmates Scotty Moore and Bill Black would enter a recording studio with Elvis.
RCA rushed the tracking, pressing the physical discs and shipping them to stores just two days later. Formally released on March 23, 1960, Fame and Fortune was the B-side. Stuck on You spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, proving definitively that Elvis’s star power hadn’t faded while he was in uniform. It stayed on the Billboard R&B singles chart for 9 weeks total getting as high as number 6 on the chart.
AT A GLANCE