"Calling Elvis" is a song written by

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British musician. He was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits from 1977 to 1995, and he is the one of the two members who stayed during the band's existence ...

and performed by British rock band

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals, lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums, percussion). Th ...

. It first appeared on the final studio album by the band, '' On Every Street'' (1991). It was released in August 1991 by

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

and

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

as the first single from that album, peaking at number 21 in the United Kingdom, and reaching the top 10 in numerous other countries. It was included on the 2005 compilation '' The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations''. A live version of the song also appears on the 1993 live album '' On the Night''.

Content

The song is about an Elvis fan who believes

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

is still alive, making references to many of his songs, including "

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being g ...

", " Love Me Tender", " Love Me (Treat Me Like a Fool)", "

Don't Be Cruel "Don't Be Cruel" is a song that was recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Otis Blackwell in 1956.Victor (2008), ''The Elvis Encyclopedia'', p.115-116 It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was ranked No. 197 in ' ...

" and " Return to Sender", as well as the expression "

Elvis has left the building ''Elvis Has Left the Building'' is a 2004 black comedy film directed by Joel Zwick and starring Kim Basinger as a cosmetics saleswoman who accidentally kills a series of Elvis impersonators as she travels to a convention in Las Vegas. John Co ...

". Mark Knopfler has been quoted as saying the idea came to him one day when he left his phone off the hook and his brother-in-law tried repeatedly to get hold of him. Upon finally doing so, the brother-in-law remarked Mark was harder to get hold of than Elvis.

Music video

The music video for "Calling Elvis" was jointly directed by

Gerry Anderson Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist, who is known for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s production ...

of '' Thunderbirds'' fame and

Steve Barron Steven Barron (born 4 May 1956) is an Irish-British filmmaker and music video director. Among the music videos he has directed are "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, " Burning Up (Madonna song), Burnin Up" by Madonna, "Summer of '69" and "Run t ...

. It includes several members of the band represented in

marionette A marionette ( ; ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by ...

form, as well as various ''Thunderbirds'' characters and a woman.

Track listings

* 7-inch and cassette single :A. "Calling Elvis" :B. " Iron Hand" * 12-inch and CD single #"Calling Elvis" #"Iron Hand" #"Millionaire Blues" * US 7-inch single and Japanese mini-CD single :A. "Calling Elvis" – 6:25 :B. "Millionaire Blues" – 4:23

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1991 singles 1991 songs Dire Straits songs Number-one singles in Italy Song recordings produced by Mark Knopfler Songs about Elvis Presley Songs written by Mark Knopfler