The Beatles and Elvis Presley had a complex connection. ‘The King’ was a few years older, breaking out first and revolutionising music just as the Fab Four were beginning to take an interest in it. In many ways, Elvis was the spark that ignited their journey, inspiring all four members when they were just young boys. So when they finally met later in life, it was a monumental moment for the band—but especially for one member, who was revealed to be Presley’s favourite, having written all four of his favourite Beatles songs.
“You heard people saying, ‘I’ve never heard anything like that before, man.’ And it was that,” Paul McCartney said of Elvis. John Lennon went even further, declaring, “Without Elvis, there would be no Beatles.” Guitarist George Harrison described him as “the sound of hope” as rock and roll took hold in the UK, while Ringo Starr, though slightly more indifferent, was still clearly in awe of the sheer scale of Presley’s success.
He was a childhood idol, not just to the band, but to really all bands working at the time. He was the man who had kick-started rock and roll as a mainstream, finally brought it across the pond and onto the radios, opening up the doors for the whole lineage of other artists that both inspired him and followed him. He paved the way for a band like The Beatles, so when they eventually met him, they were nervous as if they were simply kids or music fans rather than the world-famous band they were at the time.
However, things soured. Imagine having your hero turn on you in the way Presley turned on the Beatles. As The King got into some alleged dealings with the CIA, he reported told President Nixon, behind closed doors, that “The Beatles had been a real force for anti-American spirit.”
Is is also claimed he commented: “The Beatles came to this country, made their money, and then returned to England where they promoted an anti-American theme.”
By the start of the 1970s, undeniably partly powered by jealousy as he was fading away in the shadows of Vegas while the Beatles had now taken his spot on top, Presley wasn’t shy about bashing the band.
However, as revealed by his stepbrother and bodyguard, David Stanley, Presley did love the band, especially the work of one member. In an interview with the Daily Express, he shared four of The King’s favourite tracks from the band, and most of them came from George Harrison. “He thought George was the most prolific writer. He really liked his writing,” Stanley said.
The most obvious of the four songs, which he loved loudly and proudly as he covered repeatedly at his own shows, was ‘Something’. Presley chose to include that song on his setlist for his history-making Satellite show, Aloha from Hawaii, proving just how much he loved the track.
‘Here Comes The Sun’ is another favourite. It is also one of the most timelessly beloved songs of all time, not just from the band but from any songwriter, helping to solidify Harrison’s stance as a truly great writer.
The other song he loves from Harrison’s catalogue is slightly more niche, proving that the King was definitely keeping an ear on the Fab Four. ‘If I Needed Someone’ from Rubber Soul was one of them, as Presley seemed to still be following the band even as they turned towards more countercultural sounds.
Elvis’ favourite Beatles songs:
- ‘Something’
- ‘If I Needed Someone’
- ‘Here Comes The Sun’
- ‘Norwegian Wood’