Good Luck Charm

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"Good Luck Charm"
Original US Picture Sleeve
Single by Elvis Presley
B-side"Anything That's Part of You"
ReleasedFebruary 27, 1962
RecordedOctober 15, 1961
StudioRCA Studio B, Nashville
Genre
Length2:27
LabelRCA Victor[1]
Songwriter(s)Aaron Schroeder, Wally Gold[1]
Producer(s)Steve Sholes[1]
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Can't Help Falling in Love" / "Rock-A-Hula Baby"
(1961)
"Good Luck Charm" / "Anything That's Part of You"
(1962)
"She's Not You" / "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello"
(1962)
Music video
"Good Luck Charm" (audio) on YouTube

"Good Luck Charm" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley's publishing company, that reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list in the week ending April 21, 1962. It remained at the top of the list for two weeks. It was also no. 1 on the Cash Box chart in the U.S. It reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in the week ending 24 May 1962 and stayed there for five weeks.[2]

Background[edit]

The song was written by Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold and recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee by Presley on October 15, 1961. It completed his second hat-trick of chart topping singles in the UK.[1] Presley is joined vocally on the chorus by Jordanaires first tenor Gordon Stoker. The single was certified Platinum by the RIAA on March 27, 1992. The single reached No. 2 on the UK singles chart in a five-week chart run in 2005 in a re-release. The B side was "Anything That's Part of You" which also reached the Top 40 in the U.S.

Personnel[edit]

Recorded on October 15, 1961, at RCA's Studio B, Nashville, the session featured the following personnel:

Other recordings[edit]

The Marvelettes released a version on the 1962 album The Marvelettes Sing and on Smash Hits Of '62 as Tamla TM 229. It was also recorded by Jo (of the duo Judy & Jo) as an answer song in 1962, entitled "Don't Want to Be Another Good Luck Charm", released as a 45 single on Capitol Records as catalog number CP-1468. Art Garfunkel recorded "Good Luck Charm" for the 1997 album Songs from a Parent to a Child. The song was covered by Travis & Shook on the 2006 collection Cape Cod Covers, Vol. 1: "The King". Johnny O'Keefe, Bobby Stevens, Lawrence Welk, and Helmut Lotti have also recorded the song.

Album appearances[edit]

The first LP appearance was on the album Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 released in September, 1963. It was on the 1973 RCA Special Products Elvis double LP compilation (DPL2-0056(e)) and the 1978 package Worldwide Gold Award Hits, Parts 3 and 4 (R214657), a 2 record set. The recording was included on the 1993 compilation From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters. The track also appeared on the 1999 career retrospective collection Artist of the Century. The song was also featured on the 2002 compilation ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 65. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  2. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 137–8. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.