Legend: Elvis Presley
Album: Recorded during the From Elvis In Memphis Lp, but released as a separate 45rpm single
Cut: "Suspicious Minds"
August 26, 1969 RCA Records





"Suspicious Minds" is an American song written and first recorded by American songwriter Mark James. After James' recording failed commercially, the song was handed to Elvis Presley by producer Chips Moman, becoming a number one song in 1969, and one of the most notable hits of Presley's career. "Suspicious Minds" was widely regarded as the single that returned Presley's career success, following his '68 Comeback Special. It was his eighteenth and last number-one single in the United States. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 91 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Session guitarist Reggie Young played on both the James and Presley versions.

James said that late one night, he was fooling around on his Fender guitar and using his Hammond organ pedals for a bass line and came up with what he thought was a catchy melody. James at the time was married to his first wife, but still had feelings for his childhood sweetheart, who was married back in Houston. James's wife has suspicions of his feelings. James felt it was a confusing time for him and that all three were caught in this trap that they could not walk out of. At the recording session, James sang the lead vocals, and the studio band backed him with Chips Moman producing. The horns, strings and vocals of the Holladay Sisters were later overdubbed. After the tape was mixed, James and Moman flew to New York, where James's manager had contacts with Scepter Records. The label loved the song and put it out, but Scepter did not have the money to promote new artists, and the song did not make the charts.

Later that year, Don Cruise, Moman's partner, told James that Presley had booked their studio to record what would become the From Elvis in Memphis album, Elvis' fifteenth studio album. Cruise kept asking James if he had any songs that would be right for Presley. James felt Presley needed a mature rock 'n' roll song to bring him back as Tom Jones was a hot artist at the time. Cruise and James thought of "Suspicious Minds" and James began urging others to get Presley to hear it. Even though James's recording had not been commercially successful, upon reviewing the song Presley decided he could turn it into a hit.

In 1986, the band Fine Young Cannibals' cover version of the song, which featured backing vocals by Jimmy Somerville, reached No. 8 on the UK Singles chart. FYC featured bassist David Steele, guitarist Andy Cox (both formerly of The Beat), and lead singer Roland Gift.

The Fine Young Cannibals' music video for the song was filmed in black & white, and remains so for the majority of the song. However, the video is noted for its innovative use of colorization, following the bridge section of the song. The video pays homage to Elvis, both in its use of the monochrome filming (common during Elvis' early career) and the shiny spangled suits that the band wear in the second half of the video.

Artist: Fine Young Cannibals
with additional backing vocals by Scottish pop singer and songwriter Jimmy Somerville
Album: Fine Young Cannibals
Cut: "Suspicious Minds"
January 2, 1986 London Records/ I.R.S. Records