A Song That Outlived the Film

The famous ballad “Love Me Tender” wasn’t even written for Elvis — it’s based on “Aura Lee,” a Civil War-era melody. The lyrics were officially credited to Vera Matson, though they were actually written by her husband Ken Darby.

Elvis performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show before the movie’s release. The response was wild: over a million advance orders came in, making it a gold record before it even hit stores.

Elvis’s Crush on Debra Paget

Debra Paget, Elvis’s co-star, was already a big Hollywood name when they met. Elvis was smitten. He visited her home, won over her parents, and even proposed. Paget later revealed she cared for him, but her parents didn’t approve of the marriage — and she was already falling for someone else: billionaire Howard Hughes.

Years later, fans would note that Priscilla Presley mimicked Paget’s hairstyle from Love Me Tender to get Elvis’s attention. Whether intentional or not, Paget clearly left a lasting impression.

A Few Goofs You Can’t Unsee

• Elvis’s character dies at the end, which devastated fans and Elvis’s own mother. Producers added a posthumous scene of him singing the title song over the credits to soften the blow — but by then, Elvis had dyed his hair black, creating a continuity error.
• In one scene, a Confederate soldier zips up his pants — even though zippers weren’t invented until decades later.
• At another moment, a 1950s car is clearly visible through a window behind a crying Debra Paget.
• During “We’re Gonna Move,” Elvis’s guitar keeps strumming even when his hands don’t.

But instead of ruining the film, these small mistakes add to its charm. They remind us that this wasn’t just a polished studio product — it was a raw, transitional moment in Elvis’s career, where a young man was figuring out how to turn musical fame into something even bigger.