Go to main content

Long Lonely Highway

Rating:
4.4 / 5

Words & Music: Doc Pomus Mort Shuman

It's a long lonely highway when you're travellin' all alone
And it's a mean old world when you got no-one to call your own
And you pass through towns too small to even have a name, oh yes
But you gotta keep on goin', on that road to nowhere
Gotta keep on goin', though there's no-one to care
Just keep movin' down the line

It's a long lonely highway without her by my side
And it's a trail full of teardrops that keep on being cried
My heart's so heavy it's a low down dirty shame oh yes
You gotta keep on goin', on that road to nowhere
Gotta keep on goin', though there's no-one to care
Just keep movin' down the line

I gotta rock for my pillow 'neath a weeping willow
And the cool grass for my bed
My drinking water's muddy so don't you tell me buddy
That I wouldn't be better off dead
It's a long lonely highway gettin' longer all the time
And if she don't come and get me
Well, I'm gonna lose my mind
So if you read about me tell her she's the one to blame, oh yes
You gotta keep on goin', on that road to nowhere
Gotta keep on goin', though there's no-one to care
Just keep movin' down the line
Movin' down the line
Movin' down the line

Recordingdate: 1963/05/27, first released on: Kissin' Cousins (album)

Musicians

Musicians who contributed to the first recording of Long Lonely Highway:

(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(drums)
(piano)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(shakers)
(vibes)
(sax)

Availability

Find available albums with Long Lonely Highway.

Deano1 wrote on February 25, 2010
Another top-notch recording from the May 1963 recording session that would have produced Elvis' best studio LP since "Elvis Is Back" had the album actually been made. This song was added to the "Kissin' Cousins" soundtrack as the last song on the album and then featured (alternate take) in the movie "Tickle Me" in 1965. A good rollicking track that Elvis delivers with gusto. The alternate version used in the movie was released as a single as flipside of "I'm Yours" in 1965 and while not hitting the Hot 100, it together with it's flipside made for a quality single.
TCB1974 wrote on August 28, 2011
The background vocals must have sounded a bit dated already when the song was first released in 1964, but otherwise this is a great recording that I can easily play a few times in a row. Four stars from me.
GEORGE (GK) wrote on August 28, 2011
Love this song ! This song, could be even better, with a new 2011 remix behind his amazing vocals.
bajo wrote on August 28, 2011
I've always liked this one too! As the B-side to I'm Yours which reached no 11 on the BB charts it made for a good, favourite single of mine back then. Even the single before this, Such An Easy Qustion/It Feels So Right also reached no 11/55 on the BB charts. Crying In The Chapel, I'm Yours and Such An Easy Question all three went to no 1 on the easy listening charts back then. I prefer the album version, even if they are very similiar and hard to tell apart, maybe..
dgirl wrote on August 28, 2011
Good song that was totally mishandled by RCA putting it as a bonus song on a poor LP, then a year later a B side! Could have been a follow-up to Devil, but they needed to push that next movie single.
GEORGE (GK) wrote on August 28, 2011
this is a good song, and was used nicely, as the opening scene, in the movie "Tickle me" (About 2 years after it was recorded)
Steve V wrote on October 01, 2011
Good song. Always liked it. Always thought it could have been an A side in 63 or 64. Dont like the way RCA handled these 1963 sessions at all. Missed chances for a good LP & single releases.
freedom101 wrote on October 01, 2011
Great song by "The King"!
old shep wrote on December 09, 2011
A good song which may have become a chart hit, but around this time there were others too which RCA mishandled.
freedom101 wrote on December 10, 2011
A instant classic, as were many of Elvis' songs.
sugartummy wrote on April 01, 2013
You can clearly hear Bob Moore's double-bass on this great track.
Gorse wrote on June 18, 2013
A top notch travelling song out of the same box as the brilliant Follow That Dream. As has been said a great two sided single when coupled with I'm Yours, helped make 1965 a fairly good year for Elvis.
kink56 wrote on June 18, 2013
Great song from what would have been the 3rd best studio album from the 60's.
ElvisSacramento wrote on June 18, 2013
This is such a brilliant, dynamic, catchy, fun, electrifying, overlooked and underrated song and it should definitely be far better known than it actually is. Elvis' rendition of it is magnificent too. I've never skipped it. It's one of many hundreds of hidden gems that Elvis professionally recorded. It's a five star song and a five star rendition for sure.
ntass1 wrote on January 15, 2017
This is a great song. Four stars from me. to bad Elvis didn't demand more quality songs like this in his movies?
Cruiser621 wrote on January 29, 2019
Great song and no wonder when one looks who wrote it, aka Pomus and Shuman. Should have been released as a 45RPM single, but another mishandled Presley blunder by RCA and The Colonel. The first time I heard it was on the "Kissin' Cousins" soundtrack album; talk about misplaced! Too bad, water over the damn.
Back to List