If I Had Been Elvis Quiz | Presley, Elvis

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In 1956, I recorded my first million selling single. I'd like to thank Tommy Durden and Mae Boren Axton for the song's lyrics, which was recorded on the RCA Victor label. The song enjoyed a seven week stay atop the "Billboard Top 100 Chart". Here are some of the lyrics: "Oh, although it's always crowded You still can find some room For broken hearted lovers To cry away their gloom They've been so lonely Well, they're so lonely Well, they're so lonely they could die Well, the Bell hop's tears keep flowin' And the desk clerk's dressed in black Well, they been so long on lonely street They never ever look back" Can you name that tune?

Answer: Heartbreak Hotel

"Heartbreak Hotel" also made it to number one on the "Billboard Country Chart". It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1995, and was named as one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by "Rolling Stone" magazine, in 2004.
"Heartbreak Hotel" is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll".

2. Thanks to the Songwriter's Hall of Fame duo of composer Mike Stoller and lyricist Jerry Lieber for a tune I released in 1957. The song was featured in one of my many films, "Jailhouse Rock" (1957). These lines are some of the work of Stoller & Lieber: "When I walk through that door Baby, be polite You're gonna make me sore If you don't greet me right Don't you ever kiss me once, kiss me twice I know that you've been told It's not fair to tease So, if you come on cold I'm really gonna freeze Make me feel at home If you really care Scratch my back And run your pretty fingers through my hair" From which song are those lines from?

Answer: Treat Me Nice

"Treat Me Nice" was a top 40 hit, peaking at number 27 on the "Billboard Hot 100", and also reached number 11 on "Billboard's Hot 100 Country Singles" chart (both in 1958).
The song comes from "Jailhouse Rock" an MGM film, in which I played Vince Everett. Vince was an ex-con, who thanks to the encouragement of beautiful song promoter, Peggy Van Alden (Judy Tyler), decides to try his hand as a singer.
Stoller & Lieber also wrote my best-selling single, "Hound Dog", as well as "Don't", a number one hit for me in 1958.
Judy Tyler gained fame on TV for playing Princess Summerfall Winterspring on "The Howdy Doody Show" which ran from 1947-1960.

3. I'd like to give a tip of the hat to a couple of songwriters who penned a tune nine years before I was born. Lou Handman wrote the music while the lyrics were handled by Roy Turk. My 1960 recording of their combined efforts went on to be a "Billboard Hot 100" hit. See if you remember these lines: "Honey, you lied when you said you loved me And I had no cause to doubt you But I'd rather go on hearing your lies Than I go on living without you Now the stage is bare and I'm standing there With emptiness all around And if you won't come back to me Then they can bring the curtain down Is your heart filled with pain? Shall I come back again"? Do you remember the tune's title?

Answer: Are You Lonesome Tonight

My RCA Victor recording of "Are You Lonesome Tonight", climbed to the top of the "Billboard Hot 100" on November 28, 1960 and hung around in the top spot until January 8, 1961. The song was written in 1926, and several earlier versions by some little known singers failed to make much of a stir. One exception was a 1950 rendition by Blue Barron on the MGM label, which reached number 19 on the "Billboard Pop Chart".
When I was performing live at various concerts I would sometimes goof around with some of the lyrics. Once when I was singing "Are You Lonesome Tonight", I changed the line, "Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there" to,
"Do you gaze at your bald head and wish you had hair". Both the audience and I laughed as I tried to finish that beautiful song.
Quiz-writer's note: I almost drove off the road the first time I heard that version...what a hoot!
Later covers were recorded by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Pat Boone and Connie Francis, among others.

4. I'd like to say, thank you, thank you very much, to Otis Blackwell for writing one of my most popular songs. I sang it the same year (1956), in which he wrote it, and I took the tune to the top of several charts. It stayed at number one for 11 weeks. Sing along with these words and see if you recall the tune's title: "You know I can be found Sittin' home all alone If you can't come around At least please telephone" "Baby, if I made you mad For something I might have said Please, let's forget the past The future looks bright ahead" "Don't stop thinking of me Don't make me feel this way Come on over here and love me You know what I want you to say" What Grammy inducted song contains those lyrics?

Answer: Don't Be Cruel

"Don't Be Cruel" enjoyed an 11 week stay on the "Billboard Top 100" from September 15-October 20, 1956. In addition, it also reached number one on the "Billboard R&B Best Seller" chart and the "Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers" list on September 15. Recorded on the RCA label, it took 28 takes before I agreed that we finally had it right. "Don't Be Cruel" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002, and was slotted in 197th place on "Rolling Stone's" list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

It was my most popular single, with "Hound Dog" on the flip side. On the three occasions that I appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, I sang "Don't Be Cruel each time, helping propel it to sales of over six million copies between 1956 and 1961. Other artists who have covered it include Jerry Lee Lewis, Neil Diamond, Debbie Harry, and Merle Haggard.

5. I'd like to offer a special word of appreciation to Mac Davis for writing a song which I recorded in 1969. Once again, it was on the RCA label, and I can remember recording it down in Memphis, TN. The song is about a young man, trying to find his way in life, under tough conditions. See if these lyrics evoke any memories: "Well, the world turns And a hungry little boy with a runny nose Plays in the street as the cold wind blows" "And his hunger burns So he starts to roam the streets at night And he learns how to steal and he learns how to fight" "Then one night in desperation The young man breaks away He buys a gun, steals a car Tries to run but he don't get far And his Mama cries" "As the crowd gathers 'round an angry young man Face down on the street with a gun in his hand" What song did you come up with?

Answer: In the Ghetto

At the time Mac Davis wrote it, the title was "The Vicious Cycle". My version of "In the Ghetto", was a top 10 hit as it climbed all the way up to number three on the "Billboard Hot 100" list, and went to numero uno on the "Cashbox" chart. The flip side was the bouncy "Any Day Now".
Several other artists have recorded "In the Ghetto", among them Dolly Parton, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bobbie Gentry, and Natalie Merchant.
Mac Davis, a member of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, also wrote a couple of other songs which I recorded, including ""A Little Less Conversation" (1968), and "Memories", which was a "Billboard Hot 100" top 40 hit for me in 1969.

6. I'm grateful to Maurice Mysels and Ira Kosloff for a song of theirs which I recorded in Nashville, TN in 1956. The lovely lyrics include: "Hold me close, hold me tight Make me thrill with delight Let me know where I stand from the start" "Ev'ry time that you're near All my cares disappear Darling, you're all that I'm living for" "I thought I could live without romance Before you came to me But now I know that I will go on loving you eternally" Can you recall the title of that beautiful tune?

Answer: I Want You, I Need You, I Love You

"I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" was just my second recording for RCA Records, ("Heartbreak Hotel" was the first). For a while I wasn't sure I was going to live long enough to make it, as our flight into Nashville was VERY turbulent. It was so bad that I couldn't have eaten a peanut butter and banana sandwich if you paid me!
The recording session was just as uneven, and in fact the final song was a nifty piece of patching together parts of two of the more than 15 takes we did.
In the end it was worth it, as "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" topped the "Billboard Country & Western" chart, and reached the third spot on "Billboard's Top Seller's in Stores" chart.

7. The first song I ever released was on the Sun Record label. Thanks for my initial foray into the world of Rock & Roll singers go to a gent named Arthur Crudup. Mr. Crudup was a mighty fine blues singer himself, and played a mean guitar as well. What song comes to mind when you see these lyrics?: "I'm leaving town, baby I'm leaving town for sure Well then you won't be bothered With me hanging 'round your door" "But, that's all right That's all right, Mama Anyway you do"

Answer: That's All Right

Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup wrote, "That's All Right", back in 1946. My recording of it was released in July 1954, and although it failed to chart, it was still a thrill to actually have taken the first step in my career. I must admit, I was all shook up when word got up here that "Rolling Stone" had "That's All Right" in the number 113 spot, on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2004).
The single, with "Blue Moon of Kentucky" on the flip side, only sold about 20,000 copies, but it was a start!

8. I appreciate the work of Ken Darby who helped me re-write a song which had first been known as "Aura Lee". It was a Civil War song written in 1861 by George Poulton, along with the lyrics of W.W. Fosdick. We kept the same great melody pretty much as it was, and just did some rework on the wording. The result was a love song that I released on RCA Records in 1956. Here we go: "Love me tender, love me true All my dreams fulfill For my darling', I love you And I always will" "Tell me you are mine I'll be yours through all the years Till the end of time" "All my dreams fulfill For my darling', I love you And I always will"

Answer: Love Me Tender

I sang "Love Me Tender" on The Ed Sullivan Show before the record had been released. The result was an instant Gold Record as that appearance helped generate a million orders. "Love Me Tender" was one of my featured songs in the first movie of I made, also titled "Love Me Tender" (1956). The film was a Civil War western, released by 20th Century Fox.
"Love Me Tender" took the top spot on the "Billboard Magazine Best Sellers in Stores" chart on November 3, 1956, and it remained there for three weeks.
It was named number 437 on "Rolling Stone's" list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, in 2004.
The Platters (1965), Marty Robbins (1970), Linda Ronstadt (1978) and B.B. King (1982), are among the many artists who have covered this beautiful song.

9. I'm thankful to Mark James who wrote a song in 1968, which he recorded as well, but it failed to chart for him. On January 23, 1969, I recorded it at the American Sound Studio, in Memphis, TN. My version would become the 17th (and final) of my songs to reach number one on the "Billboard Hot 100". Do the following lyrics seem familiar? "We're caught in a trap I can't walk out Because I love you too much baby Why can't you see What you're doing to me When you don't believe a word I say"? Can you pick the proper title of this melancholy tune?

Answer: Suspicious Minds

"Suspicious Minds" got to number one on the "Billboard Hot 100", on November 1, 1969. The first time I sang it was in a Las Vegas hotel on July 31, 1969, and Scepter Records released it a couple of months later.
Mr. James also wrote, "Always On My Mind", which I recorded in 1972, and he won a Grammy for Song of the Year (1983), for Willie Nelson's great 1982 recording of that same tune.
"Suspicious Minds" was designated as number 91 on "Rolling Stone's" list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, in 2004.
There was more than enough suspicion to go around, and so the song was covered by several artists including B.J. Thomas (1969), Fine Young Cannibals (1986), and Dwight Yoakam (1992).

10. If I had been Elvis, I would have called The Jordanaires in 1960 and asked them to join me in recording my first song as a civilian in a couple of years. I was in the U.S. Army from March 24, 1958-March 5, 1960. I released my first post-service song on March 23, 1960, and it went to number one on the "Billboard Hot 100" on April 25, 1960, and enjoyed a month long run at the top of the chart. See if these lyrics sound familiar: "You can shake an apple off an apple tree Shake-a, shake-a sugar but you'll never shake me No-sir-ee" "I'm gonna run my fingers through your long black hair Squeeze you tighter than a grizzly bear Yes-sir-ee" "Hide in the kitchen, hide in the hall Ain't gonna do you no good at all 'Cause once I catch ya and the kissin' starts A team o' wild horses couldn't tear us apart" Which is the song's title?

Answer: Stuck On You

"Stuck On You" also climbed to number six on the R&B chart. The song reunited me with a lyricist, Aaron Schroeder, who wrote 17 songs for me, including three in addition to "Stuck On You", which became number one "Billboard Hot 100" hits. They were "A Big Hunk o' Love" (1959), "It's Now or Never" (1960), and "Good Luck Charm" (1962).

The music for "Stuck On You" was composed by J. Leslie McFarland. Speaking of my Army days, while I was stationed in Germany as a member of the Third Armored Division, I happened to meet a teenage girl named Priscilla on September 13, 1959. We stayed in touch over the next few years, and she became my bride in 1967.

Source: Author paulmallon

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ralzzz before going online.
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If I Had Been Elvis Trivia Quiz

If I had been Elvis the first thing I'd do is say: "Thank you, thank you very much". I'd say it to my fans, and to the songwriters who gave me many memorable lyrics to sing. How many of my song titles can you name from the lyrics given?

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