<p id=”par-1_46″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/elvis-presley/?swcfpc=1″>Elvis Presley</a> has been mentioned in countless songs. In fact, his <em><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/pop-star-sang-backup-elvis-68-comeback-special.html/”>’68 Comeback Special</a></em> — and a postage stamp — inspired Patty Loveless’ “I Try to Think About Elvis.” The tune in question was initially designed to be manly, but it was rewritten to suit Loveless.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-a-radio-dj-accidentally-coined-the-title-of-patty-loveless-i-try-to-think-about-elvis”>A radio DJ accidentally coined the title of Patty Loveless’ ‘I Try to Think About Elvis’</h2>
<p id=”par-2_56″>During a 2024 interview with <a href=”https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/story-behind-the-song/2024/08/21/songwriter-gary-burr-talks-about-elvis-and-patty-loveless/74813638007/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The Tennessean</a>, songwriter Gary Burr recalled listening to a radio program where people discussed how <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/why-elvis-presley-didnt-think-he-was-the-king.html/”>the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll</a> should look on a commemorative stamp. “When I think about Elvis, I try to think about Elvis in the reunion special with the black leather, black hair,” a radio DJ said.</p>
<p id=”par-3_52″>That comment inspired Burr. “I love songs with titles that make you want to listen to the song and go ‘What is that about?’” he said. “So I heard him say, ‘I try to think about Elvis’ and something just stuck in my head and I went upstairs and wrote the song.”</p>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-i-try-to-think-about-elvis-is-as-much-about-the-beatles-as-it-is-about-elvis-presley”>‘I Try to Think About Elvis’ is as much about The Beatles as it is about Elvis Presley</h2>
<p id=”par-4_76″>“I Try to Think About Elvis” isn’t a song about Elvis so much as a song about someone trying to distract themselves from thoughts of a lover by focusing on anything else. In addition to Elvis, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/paul-mccartney-told-taylor-swift-this-elvis-presley-hit-cured-a-headache.html/”>the narrator tries to ponder The Beatles</a>, The Rolling Stones, the cosmos, Oprah Winfrey’s afternoon television show, sushi, and<em> Creature from the Black Lagoon</em>. It’s ultimately a list song where the joke is how random and extensive the list gets.</p>
<p id=”par-5_101″>While the song only mentions Elvis once, it’s still conspicuously named after him. That says a lot about the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/elvis-presleys-cant-help-falling-in-love-inspired-1-the-whos-songs.html/”>“Can’t Help Falling in Love” singer</a>‘s enduring status as a cultural icon. It also speaks to his continuing influence in the world of country music. The track could just as easily have been titled “I Try to Think About The Beatles” or “I Try to Think About The Rolling Stones,” but, apparently, Elvis’ name was a bigger draw in the country music scene. I guess country radio programmers <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/singer-original-suspicious-minds-felt-elvis-presley-recording-song.html/”>like playing “Suspicious Minds”</a> more than The Beatles’ or The Rolling Stones’ country songs.</p>
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Elvis Presley Made 1 of His Girlfriends Promise to Sing Rock Songs and Now She’s in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-rewriting-the-song-for-patty-loveless-stressed-out-gary-burr”>Why rewriting the song for Patty Loveless stressed out Gary Burr</h2>
<p id=”par-6_47″>Initially, “I Try to Think About Elvis” had a lot to say about bedroom activities. The original version of the song was also more macho and included references to guns and sports. To make the song work for Loveless, Burr had to make it more feminine. </p>
<p id=”par-7_70″>“I went back in and put in the lines about high heels, good deals, and talk shows to take out some of the more testosterony stuff,” he recalled. “It was tremendous pressure because you know if you don’t do the rewrite properly, you lose the cut. I sweated it out and the next thing I know they brought it for me to listen to. I did and it was tremendous.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_47″>Regardless, he is proud of Loveless’ rendition of the song. While it wasn’t meant for her, it became one of her signature songs. She brought a certain comic energy to “I Try to Think About Elvis” that suited the tone of a lot of 1990s country music.</p>
<p id=”par-9_17″>Burr and Loveless thought about Elvis a lot — and so do the rest of us fans.</p>