<p id=”par-1_66″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/elvis-presley/”>Elvis Presley</a> and David Bowie are two of the most influential artists in music history, but few fans know that Bowie once wrote a song specifically for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. That song was none other than 1976’s “Golden Years,” a track that subsequently became a Bowie hit. The <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/1-star-wrote-songs-elvis-presley-taylor-swift.html/?swcfpc=1″>story behind the song</a> is as fascinating as the relationship between the two music superstars.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-elvis-presley-could-have-recorded-one-of-david-bowie-s-greatest-hits”>Elvis Presley could have recorded one of David Bowie’s greatest hits</h2>
<p id=”par-2_56″>David Bowie was a lifelong Elvis Presley fan, often citing him as a major music influence. Despite their distinct styles, the two men had a deep respect for each other. In the mid-1970s, Bowie was exploring funk and soul sounds and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/elvis-presleys-birthday-5-songs-color-blue.html/?swcfpc=1″>created something</a> that might suit Elvis’ evolving style. <em>Golden Years</em> was born from that vision.</p>
<p id=”par-3_45″>In a <a href=”https://www.bowiewonderworld.com/press/00/0208dearsuperstar.htm” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>2002 interview with Blender</a>, Bowie <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/lisa-marie-presley-memoir-three-explosive-revelations-life-priscilla-presley.html/?swcfpc=1″>set the record straight</a> about how his collaboration with Elvis almost came to be. “Apparently Elvis heard the demos, because we were both on RCA, and Colonel Tom [Parker, Presley’s manager] thought I should write Elvis some songs.”</p>
<p id=”par-4_31″>Bowie continued, “There was talk between our offices that I should be introduced to Elvis and maybe start working with him in a production-writer capacity. But it never came to pass.”</p>
<p id=”par-5_37″>He concluded, “I would have loved to have worked with him. God, I would have adored it. He did send me a note once. ‘All the best, and have a great tour.’ I still have that note.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-didn-t-elvis-record-golden-years”>Why didn’t Elvis record ‘Golden Years?’</h2>
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<iframe title=”David Bowie – Golden Years” width=”925″ height=”694″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/HRD0ghlFSgk?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-6_39″>Despite David Bowie’s enthusiasm for the chance to work with the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis never recorded “Golden Years.” Some reports suggest that Presley’s management declined the offer without even passing it along to the King. </p>
<p id=”par-7_36″>Others speculate that Elvis, struggling with personal and health issues at the time, may not have been in a position to take on new material. Whatever the reason, the song never made it into Presley’s hands.</p>
<p id=”par-8_37″>Since Elvis passed on the track, Bowie recorded “Golden Years” himself, releasing it as the lead single from his album <em>Station to Station</em>. The song became a hit, reaching No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. </p>
<p id=”par-9_39″>The song showcased Bowie’s ability to blend genres, incorporating funk, soul, and rock influences into the groundbreaking tune. While it’s impossible to know how Elvis would have interpreted “Golden Years,” Bowie’s version remains one of his most beloved tracks.</p>
<p id=”par-10_33″>In an interview for <a href=”https://www.ocregister.com/2016/01/21/dwight-yoakam-names-his-top-five-david-bowie-songs-before-headlining-in-anaheim-on-sunday/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Orange County Register</a> country singer Dwight Yoakam said David Bowie once shared his Elvis story with him. This exchange reportedly took six months before Elvis’ death in August 1977.</p>
<p id=”par-11_38″>“That was based on Elvis having heard Bowie’s ‘Golden Years,’ and I thought ‘Oh my God, it’s a tragedy that he was never able to make that,’” Yoakam told the paper. “I couldn’t even imagine 1977 David Bowie producing Elvis.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_31″>Yoaham concluded the collaboration “would have been fantastic. It has to be one of the greatest tragedies in pop music history that it didn’t happen, one of the biggest missed opportunities.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-song-that-could-have-been”>The song that could have been</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/elvis-presley-in-1977.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Elvis Presley in concert in 1977″ class=”wp-image-3785472″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Elvis Presley in concert in 1977 | Bettmann/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-13_36″>It’s fascinating to imagine how “Golden Years” might have sounded if Elvis recorded it. Would it have become a late-career hit for the king? Could it have introduced him to a new generation of fans? </p>
<p id=”par-14_53″>Bowie’s admiration for Presley was clear. The idea of the king singing one of the Thin White Duke’s songs adds an intriguing twist to the legacies of both artists. Though we’ll never know for sure, this near-collaboration of two music legends serves as one of the greatest “what ifs” in music history. </p>
<p id=”par-15_18″>Elvis Presley died on Aug. 16, 1977, at 42. David Bowie died on Jan. 10, 2016, at 69.</p>