Elvis continues his run of No. 1 hit songs…

Resuming the countdown of the No. 1 hit records released by vocalist Elvis Presley, a brief lull occurred when the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” was serving a two-year hitch in the U.S. Army between March 1958 and March 1960.

 

“A Big Hunk O’Love” was the only Presley single released during his Army days to reach No. 1 on the Billboard “Hot 100.” The tune, written by Aaron Schroeder and Sidney Wyche (under the name Sid Jaxon), climbed to the top of the charts in August 1959 for a brief two-week stay. It was Elvis’ eighth No. 1 record of his career.

He would go on to tally 14 No. 1 hits over the course of his career, which ties him for third place all-time with Rihanna. Only Mariah Carey (19) and The Beatles (20) have more.

After Elvis’ return to civilian life, his first four singles each soared into the No. 1 slot, beginning with “Stuck on You” in April 1960, written by Aaron Schroeder and J. Leslie McFarland.

Next came “It’s Now or Never,” which moved into the top spot in August 1960. The song was inspired by the Italian song of the Neapolitan language, “O sole mio,” which was written in 1898. (The music was composed by Eduardo di Capua and Alfredo Mazzucchi, with lyrics by Giovanni Capurro.

The lyrics were revised specifically for Elvis by Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold.

 

“It’s Now or Never” was Elvis’ top-selling recording, exceeding $20 million, and it ranks seventh of all time. (“White Christmas” by Bing Crosby remains king of the hill with $50 million in sales.)

“Are You Lonesome Tonight?” reached No. 1 in November 1960. This song was written by vaudevillians Roy Turk and Lou Handman in 1926 and first recorded by Charles Hart.

Elvis’ version of “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” was the favorite song of Marie Frances Mott Parker, wife of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ longtime manager.

 

Elvis Presley often called Mrs. Parker “Aunt Marie,” and in the early years, she was in charge of all Elvis concert ticket sales.

Elvis made it four in a row at No. 1 when “Surrender” took over the top stop in March 1961. It is an adaptation by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman of the music from a 1902 Neapolitan ballad by Giambattista and Ernesto de Curtis entitled “Torna a Surriento” (“Come Back to Sorrento”).

“Good Luck Charm” became Elvis’ 13th No. 1 hit in April 1962. The song was written by Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold.

Alan Hanson, a music historian who has written extensively about Elvis’ music, commented: “Seven long years of mostly forgettable single releases would pass before Elvis again topped the ‘Hot 100.’”

In November 1969, “Suspicious Minds” became Elvis’ 14th and last ‘Hot 100’ No. 1 single,” Hanson reported. The song was written and first recorded by Mark James (shown below).

Elvis had great success with “Burning Love” in 1972, which “peaked at No. 2 in October 1972,” according to Hanson. “Burning Love” was written by Dennis Linde and originally released by Arthur Alexander.