The legend of Elvis Presley still reverberates to this day, thanks to his knack for both boundary-pushing and genre hopping, as well as a unique style — all of which is embodied by his now-legendary discography.
It’s a legacy that’s currently exploding on the big screen thanks to musical-movie mastermind Baz Luhrmann. The simply titled Elvis, which arrived June 24, sees Austin Butler portraying the King of Rock and Roll and some of music's biggest names coming together for a star-studded soundtrack. Among some originals from the likes of Eminem and Doja Cat, much of the soundtrack consists of a series of Elvis covers from newcomers (Shonka Dukureh) and established stars (Kacey Musgraves).
But imitating the King is nothing new. From pop acts to blues artists, rockers to opera singers, generations of disparate artists have put their own distinct spins on Elvis classics.
These are some of the most memorable Elvis covers to date — including a few new additions, thanks to the film's soundtrack.
"Can’t Help Falling in Love"- Kacey Musgraves
One of the newest — and brightest — additions to the canon of classic Elvis covers comes Kacey Musgraves' heart-rending version of Presley’s 1961 standard "Can’t Help Falling in Love." While other artists have interpreted the song in fluffier ways (see: UB40’s reggae version), Musgraves lets the words shine in this acoustic version sung in the vein of her previous hit "Rainbow."
With a melody based on a three hundred year-old French love song ("Plaisir d'amour"), the tender track was originally recorded for Elvis’s film Blue Hawaii and is one of the most romantic songs in the singer’s repertoire — despite having a discography full of them. With lyrics that drip with passion, along with a nod to a previous Elvis hit "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)." Musgraves rendition of "Can’t Help Falling in Love" serves as a poignant moment for the GRAMMY-winning star, a self-proclaimed longtime Elvis fan.
"In the Ghetto"- Dolly Parton
As Elvis grew older, his songs went from the rollicking and simple cuts of the '50s to tracks with deeper meaning, including this heavy story song "In the Ghetto." Chronicling the life of a doomed young man and the effect on his hapless mother, the song is one of Elvis’ more somber cuts and one Dolly Parton makes all her own. While it's musically similar to Presley’s version (right down to the repeating guitar hook), Parton’s voice and vibrato add an even deeper layer of sadness to its lyrics while a drumbeat foreshadows a mournful ending.
For Parton, her "In the Ghetto" cover was the closest she’d get to Elvis. "I was going to meet him for the first time when he was coming to the studio to sing ‘I Will Always Love You,’ which didn't work out, as you know, because Colonel Tom Parker, his manager, wanted half the publishing," Parton said in an interview earlier this year. "I was gonna meet him and I'm sorry, I didn't get to meet him."
"Don’t Be Cruel"- Cheap Trick
How did an ‘80s pop-rock band manage to pull off a cover of a 50s-era Elvis classic — somehow retaining its flair while also making it their own? A seemingly impossible task, Cheap Trick did just that with their 1988 spin on "Don’t Be Cruel," complete with the era’s signature electronic drum sound and a vocal flair from frontman Robin Zander.
Written by the R&B and country singer/songwriter Otis Blackwell — who first broke out at Amauetr Night at the Apollo before writing "All Shook Up," "Return to Sender" and "Don’t Be Cruel" for Elvis, as well as "Great Balls of Fire" for Jerry Lee Lewis — the song marked the first track Elvis’ publishers brought him to record. The track no doubt inspired Zander, who once said that Elvis was one of the artists who made the biggest impact on his approach to singing and phrasing
"Are You Lonesome Tonight?"- Frank Sinatra
The Chairman of the Board and the King had an interesting relationship, which started with Sinatra’s pure hate of Elvis before they formed a friendship. One of the most formidable music stars in America in the 1950s, Sinatra knew that when Elvis shook his hips on "The Ed Sullivan Show" that his own brand of music, standards and swing, was suddenly old news.
"[Rock and roll] manages to be the martial music of every sideburned delinquent on the face of the earth," Sinatra mused in an interview in the ‘50s. "His kind of music is deplorable. It fosters almost universally negative and destructive directions in young people."
Nevertheless, by 1960, Sinatra realized he better align himself with the King to stay relevant — and later that year, the pair starred in a blockbuster TV special together. By 1962, the crooner recorded this smooth cover version of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", which allowed Sinatra to maintain his signature jazzy sound despite his earlier hatred of Elvis' aesthetic — demonstrating that maybe the pair weren't that different all along.
"I Got a Feelin’ in My Body"- Lenesha Randolph
Later on in Presley’s life, the King became deeply religious and as a result began recording a slew of spiritual and gospel songs from "How Great Thou Art" to "Amazing Grace." In 1973, he combined biblical lyrics with a disco sound in the form of "I Got a Feelin’ in My Body," which GRAMMY nominee Lenesha Randolph, recreated in the form of her cover of the track for the Elvis movie’s soundtrack.
Randolph, who plays Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the film, is supported by a powerful and seemingly massive choir on the track, with the whole affair transporting the listener into a Sunday service like no other.
"Viva Las Vegas"- Bruce Springsteen
The 1992 Nicolas Cage comedy Honeymoon in Vegas appropriately has a soundtrack populated with a bevy of Elvis covers by a disparate list of artists, from Billy Joel to Trisha Yearwood. However, one track that stands above the rest is Bruce Springsteen’s wild spin on "Viva Las Vegas," the otherwise corny Elvis song that the King released in 1964.
Springsteen plays up the song’s liveliness with a frenetic energy that could easily soundtrack a rowdy game of craps. Just like Presley did in his own career, The Boss deftly melds a country flavor to a rockin’ track. Top it off with his distinctive vocals and you have a worthy addition to both artist's stacked legacies.
"Love Me"- The Little Willies
Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller were the iconic songwriting duo behind a bevy of Elvis’s early rockin’ hits including "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock." In addition to the upbeat tracks they were known to concoct, the two also had a tender side.
Case in point: "Love Me," a sweetly sacrine song that the Norah Jones-fronted group The Little Willies covered for their 2011 self-titled debut album. Their version puts a twangy spin on the ode which, oddly enough, was originally penned as a farce.
"To be honest, when we first wrote ‘Love Me,’ we were thinking of it as sort of a take off," explained Stoller in a 2020 interview, who cited the satirical country duo Homer & Jethro as an inspiration. "It's got all these masochistic lyrics: 'Treat me like a fool, treat me mean and cruel but love me.' It could have been a joke, but Elvis' performance makes it genuinely touching." Alas, so does Norah’s.
"Baby, Let’s Play House"- Austin Butler
Actor Austin Butler is accumulating an avalanche of rave reviews thanks to his stunning performance of Presley — and after listening to his covers of the King, including early cut "Let’s Play House," it’s easy to understand why. Butler made it a point to sing every song himself, a brave move that ultimately paid off thanks to his impressive vocal mimicry. Even Elvis’ daughter Lisa Marie was taken aback, tweeting "Austin Butler channeled and embodied my father’s heart & soul beautifully."
It was a meticulous process, the actor said in a recent interview. "I’d hear him say a certain word and I would clip just that bit out so I knew how he said that word," he recalled. "I created my own archive of how he said every word and every diphthong, and the way that he used musicality in his voice."
"Love Me Tender"- Andrea Bocelli
It was almost as if this romantic ballad was tailor-made for Bocelli’s velvety voice. Recorded for the Italian tenor’s 2013 aptly-titled album Passione, the singer brings out the song’s stark emotion with an orchestra that deftly compliments each lyric.
"There is no denying that Elvis had a great talent," Bocelli said in an interview earlier this year. "He possessed a pliant voice with extensive range and a soft and enveloping timbre. Plus, he was an extremely charismatic person." The song itself is a unique one in the King’s repertoire with Elvis receiving a rare co-writing credit on the track, which was inspired by the melody for the Civil War-era song "Aura Lee" and written for his 1956 western film The Reno Brothers.
"Hound Dog" - Shonka Dukureh
Just as Presley smoothly moved his hips, he also gilded between genres — and subsequently became a master of rock, country and blues. The latter artform is where the King got his start, including one of his earliest smashes, 1956’s "Hound Dog."
It’s a track that Shonka Dukureh brings to vivid life in both the Elvis movie and on its wide-ranging soundtrack, all in character as the legendary Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton. Hearing Dukureh's powerful wails alongside the sparse — but monstrously impactful — guitar and drums, it's hard to not start moving yourself.
"I was very aware and wanting to really be intentional about making sure I was paying respect, respecting her, respecting her legacy, respecting her spirit, respecting everything about what she brought to music,"saidDukureh of Thornton. "And understanding that I'm able to do it because she's done it and laid that foundation."
"Jailhouse Rock"- The Blues Brothers
Let’s face it: the original "Jailhouse Rock" is a pretty kitschy track, from its hokey intro (who goes to a party at the county jail, anyway?) and right on through its cries of "Let’s rock!" But when one of the most successful satirical bands of all time fittingly put their spin on it, magic happened.
Released in the midst of the disco-70s, Dan Akryod and John Belushi formed the Blues Brothers as a Saturday Night Live sketch. It later became a smash move that featured the two (spoiler alert!) hauled off to jail. Antics, and this fun cover, ensue.
From 'Encanto' To "Euphoria" And "Grand Theft Auto V": Behind The Making Of A Great