Elvis Presley: HAUNTING story behind King’s first single Heartbreak Hotel

Elvis Presley found fame performing music with a new style of rhythm and blues that was not well known at that time. The American legend released unbelievable hits such as Jailhouse Rock and Blue Suede Shoes, cementing his position as one of the biggest music icons of all time. Elvis first hit it big, however, when he released his first single, Heartbreak Hotel.

Heartbreak Hotel was released on January 27, 1956, whilst the King was on Sun Records.

Within the first week of the record’s release, the King sold over 300,000 copies.

It went on to sell over one million copies, becoming Elvis’ first ever gold certified record.

However the story behind the song is actually a lot more harrowing than fans might have realised.

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Althougthe song was drenched in misery, when Elvis was eventually played the demo by Axton, he yelled: “Hot dog, Mae, play that again!”

The King apparently listened to the song ten times over, memorised the lyrics, before going on to record and release Heartbreak Hotel as his first single on RCA Records.

This song’s release truly kickstarted his legacy as the King of Rock N Roll.

Becoming such an international superstar opened many doors for Elvis, including the ability to become an actor.

During the filming of his 1965 film Viva Las Vegas Elvis found himself becoming entwined in a passionate love affair with his on-screen co-star Ann-Margret.

While the pair stayed together for just over a year, all good things must come to an end.

But the pair’s relationship didn’t end completely, as they made time for one another over the later years in their lives.

According to the Elvis Biography website, Elvis sent gestures of affection to Ann-Margret over the next decade of his life – until his death on August 16, 1977.

Every time Ann-Margret would open up a new Las Vegas show, the Hound Dog singer would send a guitar-shaped floral arrangement for luck.