"King of the Whole Wide World" is a song written by

Bob Roberts ''Bob Roberts'' is a 1992 satirical mockumentary film written, directed by, and starring Tim Robbins. It depicts the rise of Robert "Bob" Roberts Jr., a right-wing politician who is a candidate for an upcoming United States Senate election. Rober ...

and Ruth Batchelor and originally recorded by

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 ...

for the 1962 United Artists motion picture ''

Kid Galahad ''Kid Galahad'' is a 1962 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a boxer. It was released by United Artists in August 1962 and opened at #9 at the American box office. '' Variety'' ranked it #37 on its list of the top-grossing films of ...

''. The track opened the 6-track soundtrack EP released in August 1962 to coincide with the film's premiere. The song reached number 30 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. According to Elvis Presley's official website, "'King of the Whole Wide World' might have gotten more chart activity, but it was competing with '

She's Not You "She's Not You" is a 1962 song recorded by Elvis Presley and released as a single on RCA Victor. Background The song was recorded on March 19, 1962 in the key of F major. The Jordanaires sang background vocals. It was published by Elvis Presley M ...

,' which had just broken into the Top 100 when the oundtrackEP was shipped."

Composition

The song was written by

and Ruth Batchelor.

Recording

Presley recorded the song for the film ''Kid Galahad'' on October 27, 1961, at Radio Recorders in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

. The recording sessions featured

Scotty Moore Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968. Rock critic ...

Tiny Timbrell Hilmer J. "Tiny" Timbrell (January 15, 1917 – May 7, 1992) was a Canadian-born session musician, session guitarist. Timbrell was born in Canada but moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue his career in music. For a time, he sold guitars at ...

and Neal Matthews on guitar,

Bob Moore Bob Moore may refer to: * Bob Moore (musician) (1932–2021), American session musician * Bob Moore (executive) (1929–2024), co-founder of Bob's Red Mill * Bob Moore (American football) (born 1949), American football tight end * Bob Moore (Au ...

on bass,

D.J. Fontana Dominic Joseph Fontana (March 15, 1931 – June 13, 2018) was an American musician best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years. In 1955, he was hired to play drums for Presley, which marked the beginning of a 15-year relationshi ...

and

Buddy Harman Murrey Mizell "Buddy" Harman, Jr. (December 23, 1928 – August 21, 2008) was an American country music session musician. Career Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Harman studied music at Roy C. Knapp School of Percussion. He returned to Nashville ...

on drums,

Dudley Brooks Dudley Brooks (December 22, 1913 – July 17, 1989) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. Biography Brooks was born on December 22, 1913, in Los Angeles, California.

on piano,

Boots Randolph Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III (June 3, 1927 – July 3, 2007) was an American musician. His 1963 saxophone hit " Yakety Sax" became the signature tune of ''The Benny Hill Show''. Randolph was a prolific session musician and member of the Nas ...

on saxophone. Backing vocals were provided by

The Jordanaires The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. Over the years, they recorded both sacred and secular music for recording companies such as Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Vo ...

Track listing

Charts

References

External links

*
One Broken Heart for Sale / They Remind Me Too Much of You
on the official Elvis Presley website {{Authority control 1962 songs 1962 singles Elvis Presley songs