How the '68 Comeback Special' Inspired Patty Loveless' 'I Try to Think About Elvis'
A radio DJ accidentally coined the title of Patty Loveless' "I Try to Think About Elvis" while discussing postage stamps.
Music
Elvis Presley has been mentioned in countless songs. In fact, his '68 Comeback Special â and some commemorative stamps â inspired Patty Loveless' "I Try to Think About Elvis."
by Matthew Trzcinski
Published on January 16, 2025
Elvis Presley has been mentioned in countless songs. In fact, his â68 Comeback Special â and a postage stamp â inspired Patty Lovelessâ âI Try to Think About Elvis.â The tune in question was initially designed to be manly, but it was rewritten to suit Loveless.
During a 2024 interview with The Tennessean, songwriter Gary Burr recalled listening to a radio program where people discussed how the King of Rock ânâ Roll should look on a commemorative stamp. âWhen I think about Elvis, I try to think about Elvis in the reunion special with the black leather, black hair,â a radio DJ said.
That comment inspired Burr. âI love songs with titles that make you want to listen to the song and go âWhat is that about?'â he said. âSo I heard him say, âI try to think about Elvisâ and something just stuck in my head and I went upstairs and wrote the song.â
âI Try to Think About Elvisâ isnât 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, the narrator tries to ponder The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, the cosmos, Oprah Winfreyâs afternoon television show, sushi, and Creature from the Black Lagoon. Itâs ultimately a list song where the joke is how random and extensive the list gets.
While the song only mentions Elvis once, itâs still conspicuously named after him. That says a lot about the âCanât Help Falling in Loveâ singerâs 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 âI Try to Think About The Beatlesâ or âI Try to Think About The Rolling Stones,â but, apparently, Elvisâ name was a bigger draw in the country music scene. I guess country radio programmers like playing âSuspicious Mindsâ more than The Beatlesâ or The Rolling Stonesâ country songs.
Initially, âI Try to Think About Elvisâ 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.
âI 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,â he recalled. âIt was tremendous pressure because you know if you donât 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.â
Regardless, he is proud of Lovelessâ rendition of the song. While it wasnât meant for her, it became one of her signature songs. She brought a certain comic energy to âI Try to Think About Elvisâ that suited the tone of a lot of 1990s country music.
Burr and Loveless thought about Elvis a lot â and so do the rest of us fans.
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