About The Song

The last number-one hit during Elvis Presley’s lifetime. It became his first hit since his previous number one seven years earlier and marked his comeback.

Suspicious Minds was written by Mark James and recorded by him at American Sound Studios in 1968. His recording (Scepter 12221) did not chart.

On January 23, 1969, Elvis recorded Suspicious Minds at American Sound Studios using the same musicians that Mark James had used. Both recordings were produced by Chips Moman. The release of Suspicious Minds was a splice of three takes. Horns were overdubbed on August 7, 1969, at United Recording Studios in Las Vegas. In November 1969, Suspicious Minds reached the top of Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart, replacing the Temptations I Can’t Get Next to You. After only one week at number one, Suspicious Minds was replaced by the Fifth Dimension’s Wedding Bell Blues. Elvis would never again have a number one record on the Hot 100 chart. At 4 minutes, 22 seconds, Suspicious Minds was Elvis’s longest number one record. It spent a total of 15 weeks on the chart. Sales of the record easily exceeded a million copies. On May 21, 1971, Suspicious Minds was named the Outstanding Single Recorded in Memphis.

An August 1970 performance of Suspicious MInds at the International Hotel in Las Vegas was used in the documentary, Elvis – That’s the Way It Is. Another performance from his April 1972 tour was used in Elvis on Tour, and a performance from the 1973 TV special, Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii, was used in the 1981 documentary, This is Elvis.

For the 1983 film Breathless, Orion Pictures wanted to use a portion of Suspicious Minds on the soundtrack. The Presley Estate and RCA Records wanted $ 40,000 for the rights. Orion Pictures brought back the original members of Elvis’s band to record the song with an Elvis imitator at a cost of only $ 7,500.

In August 1987, USA Today had a telephone call-up-ballot on the callers’ favourite Elvis song. Suspicious Minds won with a 30.5% of the vote. Love Me Tender came in second with 24%.

Video

Lyrics

We’re caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Why can’t you see
What you’re doing to me
When you don’t believe a word I say?
We can’t go on together
With suspicious minds (suspicious minds)
And we can’t build our dreams
On suspicious minds
So, if an old friend I know
Stops by to say hello
Would I still see suspicion in your eyes?
Here we go again
Asking where I’ve been
You can’t see the tears are real
I’m crying (Yes, I’m crying)
We can’t go on together
With suspicious minds (suspicious minds)
And we can’t build our dreams
On suspicious minds
Oh, let our love survive
Or dry the tears from your eyes
Let’s don’t let a good thing die
When, honey, you know
I’ve never lied to you
Mmm, yeah, yeah
We’re caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Why can’t you see
What you’re doing to me
When you don’t believe a word I say?
Don’t you know I’m caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Don’t you know I’m caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Don’t you know I’m caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much baby
Don’t you know I’m caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Don’t you know I’m caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Don’t you know I’m caught in a trap
I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby