Elvis Presley – I Forgot To Remember To Forget

It’s been too long since I posted about the big E. How could someone, not like a song with a title like that?

Elvis didn’t want to record this song because he thought it was too Country, so drummer Johnny Bernero from Memphis was added to the mix. Up until this time, there was only Scotty Moore on guitar, Bill Bass on bass, and Elvis on rhythm guitar. This added an up-tempo beat…Elvis liked it and recorded the song, which became a Country hit. I know Elvis is Elvis, but his backing band was just as special to me. Scotty Moore was one of a kind.

This song was released twice. The Sun Records release first charted the following week (September 17, 1955) at #14 on Billboard’s Country Charts.  On November 21, 1955, it was released yet again. On that day RCA Victor purchased Elvis’s contract from Sam Phillips. As part of the deal, RCA obtained the rights to all of Presley’s Sun recordings. Soon after, RCA pressed and distributed a single of “I Forgot to Remember to Forget” and “Mystery Train” on its own label.

This was Elvis’ first #1 on any chart. It peaked at #1 in the Country Charts and #2 in Canada in 1955.

The Beatles never recorded this song in the studio, but they did it for the BBC with George singing lead.

The song was written by Charlie Feathers and Stan Kesler.  Kesler had already written Presley’s “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone” when he had the idea for this song.

Stan Kesler: “At that time, I was on the kick of catchy titles,” Kesler recalled. “When I began to think about that phrase, it just expanded into ‘I forgot to remember to forget her.’ From there, I started working on it, and it all fell together.”

The Beatles version… live in the BBC studios.

I Forgot To Remember To Forget

I forgot to remember to forget her
I can’t seem to get her off my mind
I thought I’d never miss her
But I found out somehow
I think about her almost all the time
The day she went away
I made myself a promise
That I’d soon forget we ever met
But something sure is wrong
‘Cause I’m so blue and lonely
I forgot to remember to forget

The day she went away
I made myself a promise
That I’d soon forget we ever met
Well, but something sure is wrong
‘Cause I’m so blue and lonely
I forgot to remember to forget

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball fan, old movie and tv show fan... and a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

19 thoughts on “Elvis Presley – I Forgot To Remember To Forget”

  2. great title, unlike Bruce I find both reasonably catchy (that it is only 2 minutes helps with that) and sounds like both something the Stray cats could’ve covered comfortably in the 80s and like something the Beatles could have polished just a bit and made into a song that would have fit well into one of their first three or so LPs

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    1. I love odd titles…just like Duane Eddy’s album title…like Fogerty said…sometimes he has a title first and knows it will be a good song because of it.

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  4. I’m not real crazy about George’s voice on the BBC version. Just out of curiosity, I wondered where in the chronology they did the song on BBC vs. when George visited his sister in Benton, IL. The BBC recording is May 18, 1964. Geo visited his sister in Benton in September 1963. I can’t help but wonder if that visit influenced how Geo sang this. Yes, my does like to work overtime 😉

    I much prefer the Elvis version. Now that title reminds me very much of a Steve Earle song from Train A Coming: “Sometimes She Forgets” which is a song of his I absolutely adore.

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    1. I think it would have fit Paul better because of his voice but none of them could do it like Elvis…just like Elvis’s version of Something doesn’t touch George’s….at least not to me.

      It very well could have influenced him. That trip that George took had to be special for him. That was the last time he ever got to walk around without being noticed in America…the very last time.

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      1. I think you’re right about Paul singing that one. Or even Ringo! I truly love the article Smithsonian Magazine did on George’s visit to IL. And yes, fame has its dark side…

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  7. Wow, here we have a song performed by my childhood idol Elvis Presley I don’t believe I had ever heard before, even though it was a no. 1 on a chart, even though a country chart? I’m somewat in disbelief!

    While I no longer idolize Elvis or anyone else, not even The Beatles, I continue to hold him in high esteem, especially as a great vocalist and a compelling performer in his early years. Elvis had some cool moves!

    I will say this particular song doesn’t overly impress me, though the title is remarkable. And it’s always great to hear Elvis’ voice! I love it when at around 1:11 minutes into the tune, Elvis seems to start laughing but immediately catches himself.

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    1. When I think of Elvis now…it saddens me. Yes he did have some cool early movies but I wish he would have gotten another manager. The Colonel made him a lot of money…along with the Colonel but at what cost?

      Parker would use Elvis for anything that made a buck whether it was quality or not. Look at some of his album covers…while other bands would put a lot of energy into that….Parker just took a snapshot and ran with it. It made Elvis look a little cheap…and he wasn’t cheap at all.

      Sorry for the rant…but Elvis deserved more than the Colonel threw his way…to me anyway. I wish he would have stayed in Rock and Roll more than all of those movie soundtracks. I’ve read where even he thought that way.

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