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Beatles Songs Covered by Elvis

Recorded over a period of 22 years, Elvis’s pool of studio recordings was much greater than that of The Beatles. Presley recorded about 665 different songs during sessions, and perhaps 50 additional titles in live performances during the ’50, ’60s, and ’70s. As The Beatles had done for him, Elvis covered four Beatle songs, starting in 1969.

“Hey Jude”

The Paul McCartney composition, a mega-#1 hit for the group, was recorded in late July 1968. Elvis covered “Hey Jude” in January 1969 at American Studios in Memphis. One of the weaker recordings that came out of those sessions, Presley’s version wasn’t released until three years later on the mishmash LP “Elvis Now.” During some of his early Vegas shows, Elvis sang a portion of “Hey Jude” in a two-part medley with McCartney’s “Yesterday.”

“Yesterday”

With minimal accompanying instrumentation, Paul McCartney recorded his most memorable melody in June 1965 at Abbey Road studios in London. In October that year, in reached #1 on the Hot 100. Elvis sang McCartney’s song in his initial Las Vegas engagement at the International Hotel in the summer of 1969. At times he added “Hey Jude” at the end to create a McCartney medley 

“Something”

George Harrison’s signature composition for The Beatles was recorded over four Abbey Road sessions from February through May 1969. As the only Harrison A-side on a Beatles single, the song reached #1 on the Hot 100 in October 1969. Elvis sang “Something” during his 1973 “Aloha From Hawaii” concert. He continued to use the song in his stage show intermittently in the seventies.

“Get Back”

Another Paul McCartney song, “Get Back” was recorded the last week of January 1969 at London’s Apple Studios. On May 24, 1969, it reached #1 on the Hot 100 and stayed there for five weeks. One of the songs it kept from reaching the top spot was Elvis’s “In the Ghetto,” which peaked at #3 on June 14. It was the first time Presley challenged The Beatles in a head-to-head duel on Billboard’s singles chart. During his summer 1970 engagement in Las Vegas, Elvis began using a portion of “Get Back” in a medley with his own “Little Sister.”

• Other Songs Recorded by Both Elvis and The Beatles

“Long Tall Sally”

Both covered Little Richard’s 1956 shouter anthem. Elvis’s version, recorded in September 1956, appeared as a track on his second RCA album in late 1956. Presley sang the song on stage both in the fifties and the seventies. With Paul mimicking Little Richard’s screeching, The Beatles recorded four versions of “Long Tall Sally” for their BBC appearances. In March 1964, the group recorded the song in one take at Abbey Road studios for commercial release on one of their early LPs.

“Memphis, Tennessee”

As one of their many tributes to Chuck Berry, The Beatles, with John in the lead, recorded “Memphis, Tennessee” fives times for broadcast on the BBC. At roughly the same time, Elvis was recording the song in RCA’s Nashville studios in May 1963 and again in January 1964. Legend has it that “Memphis, Tennessee” was slated to be Presley’s next single release, but it had to be shelved when Johnny Rivers’ version came out first. Elvis’s rendition finally appeared a year later as a track on Presley’s hodgepodge LP, “Elvis for Everyone.”

“Too Much Monkey Business”

The Beatles were out first with their version of this Chuck Berry song. It had been in the group’s club repertoire since 1960. John sang the lead on four versions of the song recorded for the BBC, the last one being in September 1963. Elvis didn’t get around to recording “Too Much Monkey Business” until January 1968. It wound up being released as a track on the “Singer Presents Elvis” promotional LP leading up to the 1968 “Comeback Special.”

“Johnny B. Goode 

Still another entry in the combined Beatles-Presley Chuck Berry tribute fest, “Johnny B. Goode,” with John singing lead, was one of songs The Beatles featured most often on their BBC appearances in 1962-1964. It was also on the playlist for Elvis’s first Vegas gig in the summer of 1969.

That The Beatles covered four Elvis records during their appearances on BBC radio in the early sixties reveals that Presley had some influence on their music early on. Looking at the wider picture, however, shows that other early rock ’n’ rollers helped shape the direction The Beatles were headed. In fact, if counting covers is a good indication, both Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins inspired The Beatles more than Elvis did. For the BBC, the group covered nine Berry songs and six Perkins tunes. There were also four Little Richard covers to match Presley’s number. It’s apparent that Elvis was one many early rockers from whom The Beatles drew inspiration. Nothing wrong with that. After all, didn’t the young Elvis draw inspiration from many different singers from several different genres? — Alan Hanson | © March 2014

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