"Kissin' Cousins" is a song first recorded by Elvis Presley as the title track for the soundtrack of the 1964 motion picture Kissin' Cousins.[2] The movie also featured a completely different song, titled "Kissin' Cousins (No. 2)", written by Bill Giant, Bernie Baum and Florence Kaye.[2]
| "Kissin' Cousins" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Elvis Presley and The Jordanaires | ||||
| from the album Kissin' Cousins soundtrack | ||||
| A-side |
| |||
| Released | February 10, 1964 | |||
| Recorded | 1963 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll, pop | |||
| Length | 2:14 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Fred Wise Randy Starr | |||
| Producer(s) | Chet Atkins | |||
| Elvis Presley and The Jordanaires singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Billboard | Favorable[1] |
Writing and recording
editThe song was written by Fred Wise and Randy Starr.[2][3][4][5] [6][7][8] The song was published by Elvis Presley's company Gladys Music, Inc. Elvis Presley recorded his vocals for the song over an earlier-recorded backing track on October 10 (or possibly in the early morning of October 11), 1963.[9][10]
Release history
editThe single was first released as a single on February 10, 1964, with "It Hurts Me", a non-movie song, on the opposite side as RCA Victor 47–8307."Kissin' Cousins" peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.[11][12] [8] ("It Hurts Me" also charted, peaking at number 29.)
The song's first LP release was in March 1964 on the Kissing Cousins soundtrack LP (LPM-2894 in mono and LSP-2894 in stereo).[13] On March 27, 1992, the single "Kissin' Cousins / It Hurts Me" was certified Gold by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 copies.[14]
Critical reception
editReviewing the single "Kissin' Cousins / It Hurts Me" in its February 15, 1964 issue, Billboard called the two songs "[t]wo more contenders for chart honors from Elvis."[1]
First side is from forthcoming film and features good middle tempo rock with voices and guitars in support.[1]
Charts
edit| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| "Kissin' Cousins" | |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] | 12 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[16] | 33 |
| Germany[17] | 27 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[18] | 6 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[19] | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] | 12 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100[20] | 10 |
| "Kissin' Cousins / It Hurts Me" | |
| Australia (retrospect Kent Music Report)[21][8] | 7 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (15 February 1964). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 22–. ISSN 0006-2510.
{{cite book}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ a b c James L. Neibaur (4 April 2014). The Elvis Movies. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 134–. ISBN 978-1-4422-3074-3.
- ^ Joseph Murrells (1974). The book of golden discs. Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN 9780214200328.
- ^ David F. Lonergan (2005). Hit Records, 1950-1975. Scarecrow Press. pp. 122–. ISBN 978-0-8108-5129-0.
- ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. 1966. pp. 314–.
- ^ Albert Hand (1973). Elvis Special. World Distributors.
- ^ Jean-Jacques Jelot-Blanc (3 January 2016). CAMION BLANC: ELVIS A HOLLYWOOD Presley fait son cinéma. CAMION BLANC. pp. 112–. ISBN 978-2-35779-747-5.
- ^ a b c Bar Biszick-Lockwood (2010). Restless Giant: The Life and Times of Jean Aberbach and Hill and Range Songs. University of Illinois Press. pp. 251–. ISBN 978-0-252-07694-7.
Kissin' Cousins Wise Starr.
- ^ Ernst Jorgensen (22 April 2014). Elvis Presley: A Life In Music. St. Martin's Press. pp. 283–. ISBN 978-1-4668-6855-7.
- ^ Kevin Crouch; Tanja Crouch (9 April 2012). The Gospel According To Elvis. Music Sales Group. pp. 179–. ISBN 978-0-85712-758-7.
- ^ a b "Music: Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart (1964-03-21)". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
- ^ James L. Neibaur (4 April 2014). The Elvis Movies. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 135–. ISBN 978-1-4422-3074-3.
- ^ Jerry Osborne; Bruce Hamilton (1980). Presleyana. O'Sullivan Woodside. ISBN 978-0-89019-073-9.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA (Search)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
- ^ "Elvis Presley – Kissin' Cousins" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Elvis Presley – Kissin' Cousins" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "australian-charts.com - Elvis Presley - Kissin' Cousins". Retrieved 2017-01-07.
- ^ "Elvis Presley – Kissin' Cousins". VG-lista.
- ^ "Elvis Presley - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
- ^ Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffman, Frank (1994). Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. p. 272. ISBN 1563083167. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ David Kent. "Australian Chart Book 1940–1969". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
"Elvis Presley: The Australian Singles Chart : 1956–2006". Elvis Australia : Official Elvis Presley Fan Club : www.elvis.com.au. Retrieved 2016-01-07.