On This Day in 1972, Elvis Presley Recorded His Final Major Hit Despite Fears It Was Too “Sexy”

Throughout his career, Elvis Presley was certainly no stranger to controversy. Often bumping up against the societal constraints of the conservative 1950s, he once had to rewrite an Everly Brothers song before recording it. (The radio had banned the Everly Brothers version for “scandalous” lyrics.) Being the biggest rock star of all time meant constantly walking a tightrope between appealing to the masses without veering too far into explicit territory. All that considered, it sort of make sense why Presley hesitated to record “Burning Love”. However, on this day (March 28) in 1972, Elvis relented. He decided to record the song that would give him the final major hit of his career.

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Elvis Presley “Wasn’t in the Mood” For This Song

It’s no secret that provocative lyrics and dance moves were a major component of Elvis Presley’s fame. However, by the early 1970s, the King of Rock and Roll was struggling as his marriage to Priscilla Presley crumbled behind closed doors. (They would divorce in 1973, one year after he recorded “Burning Love”.

As such, the Mississippi-born superstar felt more drawn to heartbreaking ballads like “Separate Ways” and “Always on My Mind”. So when he heard a demo of “Burning Love”, originally recorded by country-soul artist Arthur Alexander, Presley wasn’t an instant fan.

“Elvis didn’t hate the song, he just wasn’t in the mood for it,” Jerry Schilling, the King’s longtime friend, told USA Today.

At the insistence of everyone in the room at Hollywood’s RCA Studio C, Presley finally relented. He recorded the gospel-rock track, releasing it as a single that August.

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 “He knew everyone felt that he should do it, he was a reasonable man,” Schilling said.

And they weren’t wrong. “Burning Love” climbed to No. 2 on the all-genre Hot 100 in October 1972. It marked the final Top 10 hit of Presley’s career before his death in 1977.

“I don’t think Elvis was ever too thrilled about singing lyrics like ‘Flames are now licking my body,’” Schilling wrote in the introduction to the Sunset Boulevard box set. “But he loved having a hit record,”

Featured image by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images