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Suspicion

Rating:
4.6 / 5

Words & Music: Doc Pomus Mort Shuman

Ev'rytime you kiss me
I’m still not certain that you love me
Ev'ry time you hold me
I’m still not certain that you care
Though you keep on saying
you really, really, really love me
do you speak the same words
To someone else when I’m not there

Suspicion torments my heart
Suspicion keeps us apart
Suspicion why torture me

Ev'rytime you call me
and tell me we should meet tomorrow
I can't help but think that
you're meeting someone else tonight
Why should our romance just
keep on causing me such sorrow?
Why am I so doubtful
whenever you're out of sight?

Darling, if you love me,
I beg you wait a little longer
Wait until I drive all
these foolish fears out of my mind
How I hope and pray that
our love will keep on growing stronger
Maybe I’m suspicious
'cause true love is so hard to find

Recordingdate: 1961/03/19, first released on: Pot Luck (album)

Musicians

Musicians who contributed to the first recording of Suspicion:

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

Availability

Find available albums with Suspicion.

old shep wrote on November 21, 2008
Arguably one of the best recordings Elvis ever made. Another example of a missed opportunity by RCA by not releasing it in the 1960s as a single, when Elvis needed a big hit. Here in the UK we finally saw the song as a top ten hit in 1976.
sitdown68 wrote on November 21, 2008
There's that certain sincerety in all these early 60's recordings. Suspicion is a fine example of his new stylistic approaches. A matured artist entering new fields. Unfortunately this was not to last for long anymore. Presley had his hand on the pulse of his days with this one. All too soon he would degenerate to a shadow of his own, caught in mediocre b-musicals.
JerryNodak wrote on November 21, 2008
There's way too much woulda/coulda/shoulda concerning Elvis and his career here and on all other boards like this. It's over. It's history (for better or worse). Let it go! Take a step back. Take a deep breath and just enjoy what he left us instead of always bemoaning what might have been. It's a waste of time. For years I read about the Elvis FAN(atic). Since I wasn't one, and I didn't know any I didn't think they existed. Boy was I wrong! Yes, this is a great song/ performance. No arguably about it. 5 stars!
Rob Wanders wrote on November 21, 2008
great tune, beautifully sung by our man.
Natha wrote on November 21, 2008
The Elvis Legacy is fabulous as it is. And this one of the gems. High on my regular list!
bajo wrote on November 21, 2008
This is one among many Elvis performances I never get tired of! Sometimes I actually sit down in my easy chair, turn up the volume and play this one over and over! Along with Memphis Tennessee this is one of those "shouldhavebeenhits"! Love it!
EPFO wrote on November 21, 2008
What a great song it is ! Marvellous, that's the real Elvis. The outtakes from the Pot Luck FTD are FANTASTIC. Thanks Elvis and the musicians for this gem and the others who came by the incredible Nashville sound from the 60's...
Ruthie wrote on November 22, 2008
Absolutely one of his greatest songs! I think everyone agrees about this particular tune. As for the FANatics, leave them alone. They are not anyone's problem.
dgirl wrote on March 18, 2009
By far the best song on Pot Luck and possibly the best song from those early 60's Nashville sessions (not including Elvis IS Back). Would have been a monster hit single in the summer of 62 if released.
My boy, my boy wrote on March 18, 2009
A very nice song for Pomus and Shuman perfect for Elvis's voice. But because of the arrangement I have to admit that I prefer Terry Stafford's version.
bajo wrote on March 18, 2009
Simply beautiful! Elvis' early 60's voice could do no wrong! Would have been a smash if released as a single back then!
Swen wrote on March 18, 2009
Of course it should have been a single as it was in Denmark by the way. But at that time there were so many fantastic songs, and good for good ole Terry that he got himself a hit song. Today people like him and Twitty are called impersonators.
Ruthie wrote on March 19, 2009
Most Elvis fans would agree that Suspicion is one of Elvis' all time great recordings. However, concerning having his hand on the "pulse of the day" and resorting to "mediocre b-musicals", his career looks strangely familiar to another great artist of our time, Sinatra. Everyone knows Sinatra was the one who brought attention to pop music by the way he emphasized the lyrics, how he believed in good lyrics & emphasized good music in general. However, take a look at the musicals he did when he first came on the Hollywood scene. Today they are classics although some would still label them B-musicals because, let's face it, they were the standard, run of the mill musical of that era with some of the most stupid songs one has ever heard. I am sure Sinatra didn't care singing those songs any more than Elvis did in his day but (1) it was a job (2) it was money (3) it was a contract & all the other blah that is discussed to death. Whether or not you are a Sinatra fan, take a look at some of those movies & listen to the songs. They made people happy back then but they were certainly no epic musicals.
Deano1 wrote on March 19, 2010
a very overrated track from the "Pot Luck" LP. No where near as good as either side of the single ("She's Not You" and "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello") which was pulled from the March 1962 recordings sessions. "Pot Luck" is not one of my favorite LP's, but I prefer "Something Blue", "Easy Question", "Steppin' Out Of Line", "I'm Yours", "That's Someone You Never Forget" and "I Feel That I've Know You Forever" more than this one. Good, but nothing spectacular, 3 stars.
Lpool kid wrote on June 17, 2011
another missed opertunity,if released in britain at the time would have been a huge hit,incidently it reached the top ten in 1976.five star performance.
Steve V wrote on June 17, 2011
One of Doc's & Mort's best. How was this not a single over the boring She's Not You? This is his best recording from these sessions by far. Innovative & fresh compared to the others.
Andy_2 wrote on June 17, 2011
Great song and way ahead of anything released at the time. How can anyone possibly prefer Terry Staffords version even if your not an Elvis fan. his was old fashioned even for the time. Another hit single missed.
TCB1974 wrote on June 17, 2011
This is a great recording of our man and should have been a hit single. Best recording of the March 1962 session together with She's not you and Just tell her Jim said hello. I think this was the last great recording session before the How great thou art sessions in 1966.
GEORGE (GK) wrote on June 17, 2011
Without a doubt, one of the best songs that Elvis Presley, recorded in the 60s. Terry Stafford thought so, too ! He sped up the music, abit, and sang it in Elvis' vocal style and added some great backing vocals and took the song, to number 1. RCA was too late in releasing Elvis' Version as a single.
Gorse wrote on November 08, 2012
Brilliant song, brilliantly sung with the Latin type Elvis voice with which he excelled. Found its way somewhere onto many playlists I have created and as stated was a missed opportunity for a global smash. It still broke into a few top ten charts in Europe in the 60's and belatedly the top ten in the UK in the 70's.
sugartummy wrote on May 10, 2013
Great track with amazing vocals by the King.
ElvisSacramento wrote on June 28, 2013
This is such a spectacular song and Elvis' rendition of it should definitely be far better known than it actually is. It's the best song from "Pot Luck" for sure.
alanfalk wrote on June 28, 2013
Great song, and another one that people who only knows him for his #1 hit collections should be exposed to. For every song he brought to #1 there are (at least) 3 just as good songs in his catalog. So many things play a role in having a #1 hit; it has to have been released as a single, get the right promotion and come at the right time. Oh jaa, don't forget, Never have two great tracks on one single (Hound dog/Don't be cruel). I first heard this on Elvis Danish Single hits back in 1990, the album sold really well (it went gold), which show what a little promotion can do. I especially love the line "..Why torture me".
cookingfat wrote on June 28, 2013
There were many lean periods in the late 1960s when gems like this could have been put out s singles(we in the UK finally got it in the 1970s) A great song covered by Terry Stafford in the Presley style, RCA missed a great opportunity for a world wide smash hit .
GEORGE (GK) wrote on June 29, 2013
Great song, Great performance. Elvis should have released this song, as a single, before Terry Stafford got the job done. Both guys do a great vocal on this song. But then again, Terry copied the Elvis' vocal style, note by note. However, I like How Terry picked up the tempo a bit and added the backup singers. Both versions are real, real good. I never skip this song when it comes on.
shawnrw wrote on December 21, 2013
This song has always been proof to me that RCA dropped the ball with Elvis time and again. Elvis records it first and nails it, but it is never released as a single. One hit wonder Terry Stafford does a vocal inflection for vocal inflection copy of it and gets a top five hit. RCA constantly screwed up and cost Elvis and themselves hit records with the choices they made. Further proof, Elvis's version was a huge hit in England. Superb kind of Pop/Soft Rocker, RCA should be ashamed.
Cruiser621 wrote on February 21, 2014
A good song among many on the "Pot Luck" album released back in 1962. With the exception of "Steppin' Out Of Line", a soundtrack reject from a certain movie released in 1961, "Blue Hawaii", I agree in hindsight, that there were better tunes which could have been inserted on this album like "I Met Her Today" but as stated below, could've, should've, would've… It is in the past… Move on.
Jim Davidson wrote on May 08, 2016
This reminds me of Mickey Alba in Jailhouse Rock. Vince had a better version of "Don't Leave Me Now', yet the big record company released Alba's version. Elvis' LP release of "Suspicion', preceded Terry Stafford's hit single. Arguably, Stafford's background vocals are superior, but Stafford's style is Elvis-y. Likewise, 'Danny' (1958, King Creole sessions) did not appear until Legendary Performer Volume 3 (1978). Cliff Richard released the song Danny in 1959. A modified version of Danny, Lonely Blue Boy, was released as a single by Conway Twitty in 1960.
TheMemphisFan wrote on May 08, 2016
~ Even though this song wasn't released as a single in the U.S. in 1962, at least it was included on the "Pot Luck with Elvis" LP and it was a better album for it. However, it's interesting to note that if Suspicion & She's Not You had reversed roles, Suspicion would've made its first LP appearance on "Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 3", and She's Not You would've been an album track on "Pot Luck". ~ Therefore, the 1964 single of Kiss Me Quick/Suspicion would've never happened.
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