70 Years Ago Today, This Rock Legend Got His First Top 100 Hit
On March 3, 1956, Elvis Presley — ever heard of him? — broke into the Billboard Top 100 for the first time with his hit song "Heartbreak Hotel."
After entering the chart, "Heartbreak Hotel" quickly rose to the top 10 after a few weeks. Two months later on May 5, "Heartbreak Hotel" hit No. 1, where it stayed for seven weeks, according to Elvis History Blog. Overall, the song spent 27 weeks in the Top 100. A few days later, Billboard reported that the single had sold 300,000 copies.
The Urban Legend Behind 'Heartbreak Hotel'
"Heartbreak Hotel" songwriters Tommy Durden and Mae Boren Axton claimed until their deaths that they were inspired by part of a suicide note that was published in the Miami Herald in 1955. It reportedly read, "I walk a lonely street." However, Songfacts was unable to find the article in the Miami Dade library. In fact, Rolling Stone reports that no one has ever been able to turn up the elusive article.
Instead, it seems likely that the story was instead about a man named Alvin Krolik, a career criminal who was ultimately killed while robbing a liquor store in El Paso, Tex. in 1955. In some stories about his death, the writers included a line from his memoir, which read, "This is the story of a person who walks a lonely street."
'Heartbreak Hotel' Was the First of Many No. 1s for Elvis Presley
In total, Presley racked up 14 No. 1 hits over the course of his career, per Elvis History Blog. They were:
- "Heartbreak Hotel"
- "Don't Be Cruel"
- "Love Me Tender"
- "All Shook Up"
- "Teddy Bear"
- "Jailhouse Rock"
- "Don't"
- "A Big Hunk O'Love"
- "Stuck On You"
- "It's Now or Never"
- "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"
- "Surrender"
- "Good Luck Charm"
- "Suspicious Minds"
Some of Presley's most iconic hits, like "Hound Dog," "Burning Love," and "Can't Help Falling In Love," never reached the No. 1 spot.