BBC Radio 2 listener vote results for favourite Elvis song revealed
Over 100,000 votes were cast by Radio 2 listeners to name their favourite Elvis song to mark what would have been his 90th birthday on 8 January.
Topping the poll is Suspicious Minds which takes the Number 1 spot in Your Ultimate Elvis Song, the Top 40 chart of his single releases.
The countdown hosted by Vernon Kay on Radio 2 from 3-5pm this afternoon features some special words from Priscilla Presley who introduces the Number 1 track. In the Number 2 spot is In The Ghetto, Number 3 is If I Can Dream, Number 4 is Always On My Mind and Number 5 is Can’t Help Falling In Love.
We’ve decided to not include the full chart here to not spoil it if you’re going to listen to the show.
For the vote, which launched in November in Vernon’s mid-morning show and closed on 13 December, listeners were asked to select up to five of their favourite tracks from Elvis’s 90 Top 20 UK hits.
This afternoon’s show reveals more extraordinary facts and stats and behind-the-scenes insights from BBC Archive interview clips with Elvis himself.
Vernon says: “The King has earned another crown! Radio 2 listeners have had their say and I couldn’t be happier with their favourite hit, and to have it introduced by Priscilla Presley is such an honour.
“I’m a huge Elvis fan so I can’t wait to bring you two hours of the very best from his incredible catalogue of unforgettable songs.”
In the show, Priscilla Presley, says: “Hello everyone this is Priscilla Presley, and I want to thank you. To everyone who has voted and shown this outpouring of love ahead of such a special anniversary, it’s wonderful knowing just how much Elvis’ music means to you all and that he lives on through the beautiful memories that remind you of him and his amazing career, and I send you all my love.
“To pick out one track from his vast catalogue is such a big decision. But between you, that’s what you’ve done. So let’s play Your Ultimate Elvis Song.”
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2, says: “We love to showcase the broad musical tastes of our listeners at Radio 2 and, as more than a hundred thousand votes have been cast, the enduring appeal of Elvis’ music, decades after he first serenaded his way into our hearts in the 1950s, is more than proved.
“These seminal songs have crossed through to new generations ever since, and I’m looking forward to tuning in on New Year’s Day.”
Elvis is also celebrated on the station on New Year’s Day with Elvis Presley, My King (7-8pm) presented by Cerys Matthews, and When Wales Welcomes The King (8-9pm), presented by Owain Wyn Evans.
All the programmes are available on BBC Sounds in a new Radio 2 Celebrates Elvis collection which includes Johnnie Walker Meets Priscilla Presley (first broadcast in 2015) where Priscilla talks about her life with one of the world’s greatest figures and the love of her life. Highlights include her childhood, their first meeting in Germany, Elvis’ love of gospel and opera, his career and the ’68 comeback special.