The Wonder of You
"The Wonder of You" is a song written by Baker Knight first released by Ray Peterson in 1959. Elvis Presley had a no. 1 hit in the UK and a Top 10 hit in the U.S. with his 1970 live version.
| "The Wonder of You" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Released | 1958 |
| Songwriter(s) | Baker Knight |
It was originally recorded by Vince Edwards in 1958, but this recording has never been released.
In 1959, Ray Peterson released it as a single. The song became a Top 40 hit for him on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #25, and also reached #23 in the UK.
That same year it was recorded by Ronnie Hilton. His version was also a hit reaching #22 on the UK Singles Chart.
The Ray Peterson record briefly re-entered the Hot 100 in 1964.
In the early 1960s, the Platters also recorded this song, which appeared on a 1970s compilation The Platters – 30 Golden Hits.
In 1969, The Sandpipers recorded an album of the same name including the song.
An album of instrumentals of the same name by Nelson Riddle was also released in 2000.
In 2017, Conor O'Brien recorded the song for Big Little Lies that was sung by Ed (played by Adam Scott) in the first-season finale.
Elvis Presley version
| "The Wonder of You" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Elvis Presley | |
| from the album On Stage | |
| B-side | "Mama Liked the Roses" |
| Released | April 20, 1970 |
| Recorded | February 1970, International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Genre | Rock and roll, pop |
| Label | RCA Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Baker Knight |
| Music video | |
| "The Wonder of You" (audio) on YouTube | |
Elvis Presley recorded a live version of "The Wonder of You" in Las Vegas, Nevada in February 1970. The song was released as a single on April 20, 1970, backed by the song "Mama Liked the Roses". In the United States, both songs charted at #9 together during 27 June - 11 July 1970. "The Wonder of You" was one of his most successful records in the UK ever, topping the UK Singles Chart for six weeks in the summer of that year. It is his fifth biggest seller in the UK to date, with sales of 891,000.[1] It also stayed at number one in the Irish Charts for three weeks that same year. This was the 59th Top 40 hit of his career. Presley's version also reached number 37 on the US Country Singles chart, and number one on the easy listening chart.[2]
"The Wonder of You" was one of about thirty-five songs Elvis would regularly perform at concerts.
According to Peterson, "He [Elvis] asked me if I would mind if he recorded 'The Wonder of You.' I said, 'You don't have to ask permission; you're Elvis Presley.' He said, 'Yes, I do. You're Ray Peterson.'"[3]
In 2016, an orchestral version of the song was released together with other orchestral versions of Elvis songs in the album The Wonder of You.
Popularity in association football
The song has been adopted by English Association football club Port Vale, which runs out to the song at the start of its home matches, while the club's fans sing the song throughout their matches, periodically with altered lyrics.[4] Arsenal Football Club also adopted the song as their opening anthem upon their move to the Emirates Stadium. [5] Scottish club Ross County have also adopted the song as an anthem at the end of home matches.
See also
- List of number-one singles of 1970 (Ireland)
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1970s
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1970 (U.S.)
References
- Copsey, Rob (August 17, 2017). "Elvis Presley's Top 50 biggest selling songs revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
- Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 196.
- "David Neale - Elvis Presley The Originals".
- "The Wonder Of You Chant". fanchants.com. 30 Jul 2007. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
- "Arsenal issue response". Football London.com.
