10 Great Elvis Presley Songs You May Not Have Heard Before

I’m sure there are a million lists out there ranking the best Elvis Presley songs. We all know the truth, beauty is in the eye of the beholder… so my favorite (“An American Trilogy”) might not be yours (because you’re just crazy?). But for today’s post, I’ve put together a list of Elvis songs you may not have heard before. Well, maybe you HAVE heard them. If so, lucky you! I don’t remember them before I became a big Elvis fan over a decade ago. I guess I’d call them “lesser known songs” but they were probably just lesser known to me. Anyway, I became a fan and have since come to appreciate so much of his music. A lot of the exposure came by way of the Elvis Channel on SiriusXM, so obviously that’s my first preset station in my truck. Poor button is getting worn out! 😉

Take a listen, and enjoy these great songs… 

Love Letters…

Wooden Heart…

Crying in the Chapel…

Just Pretend…

Heart of Rome…

Trying to Get to You…

Are You Lonesome Tonight (Laughing version)…

Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain…

Blueberry Hill…

Long Black Limousine…

Thank ya, thank ya very much… for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

The Unforgettable Movie Trailer – Smile

The previews have all played and the lights come down for the feature presentation. You probably know the excitement of that moment, right? For the next hour or two, we’ll be immersed in a story that makes us feel happy, sad, excited, scared, angry, or confused (Inception, anyone?). I remember one of these occasions and because I love getting to the theater early to watch the trailers, I saw every one of them. Then the auditorium got even a little darker and the movie started. The first scene was a bank robbery and I remember vividly thinking, “This is an interesting way to start the movie.” I think I was there to see a rom-com, to be honest. I was a little confused why they would start with a bank robbery but I was “all in” anyway. A few minutes into it, my mind was blown when Joker appeared on screen! What was happening??? Was I in the wrong theater!? Nope. Nope, I wasn’t. What I was watching was a very clever advertisement for the upcoming Batman film. Instead of a trailer, they just showed a scene from the movie. I’ll never forget that because of it’s simple originality. And you bet your Dusty buns I went to watch Batman when it came out a few months later!

Well, something similar happened again when I went to watch Top Gun: Maverick. Two movies in two days (the first was Elvis), so I saw a lot of movie previews. This time, I wasn’t tricked into thinking the featured movie was starting but the trailer was so odd, random, and mind-boggling that I rank it right up there with the Batman experience from a few years earlier. Soon after I got home I watched the full trailer because I just had to know what the movie was all about. The movie is called Smile and the trailer’s below. Who knew a smile could be so dang creepy? You can bet your hot dog buns I’ll be watching this movie.

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Paddleboarding in the Ocean

I don’t know if I’m crazy or psycho. The truth is, there’s always a secret third option— nuts. That’s me and it definitely applies in this particular instance… paddleboarding. I prefer it over kayaking, although when I camp, I bring a kayak. During a recent family vacation, I asked my dad if I could return his boat to the marina and paddleboard back. He was on “board” so that’s what I did. Two miles doesn’t seem like a long way when you’re driving or walking or riding a bike and paddling that distance turned out to be quite a workout. But…

I LOVED IT.

I listened to music part of the way, till my phone got wet and the speaker started to sound like a Fisher Price toy music box. After that, it was just the sound of the birds, wind, and water splashing around me as I floated northwest. Perfect. Totaling 35 minutes from start to finish and although I was in the ocean where almost anything can happen, it was mostly safe. This bay is pretty well protected from wind and waves, and as far as sharks go, they DO swim here but it’s not common to have any issues with them. We see a lot more dolphins than sharks. 

Would I do it again? That’s like asking a president if he’s going to run for reelection. Of course!

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Top Gun – I finally saw it! But who’s Penny?

My dad and I went to watch Top Gun recently and, unlike when we watched the Elvis movie, we had perfect seats! I’m not going to bore you with my opinion on how good it was because you already know it’s great. In fact, I haven’t heard any review in the weeks the movie’s been out that have said anything negative about it. Everyone loves it. We loved it, too. Our only question was this… who is Penny?

Played by Jennifer Connelly, the Penny character was a mystery to me (and yes, I’m now singing the Roy Orbison song), until we looked into it. According to this explanation, Penny was mentioned in the original Top Gun but was never seen on-screen. Here’s a scene…

If I had to pick one thing I didn’t like about Top Gun: Maverick, it’s the Penny character. Was a love interest needed? I don’t believe so. I believe she was included because the relationship she has with Maverick helps the story move along and go deeper. Without her, how would we find out more about Maverick’s relationship with Rooster? He had to tell someone the backstory so I guess a love interest is the best option. So they needed a love interest with some connection to the original movie, and Penny was the only choice. Well, unless they brought Charlie back. I bet they didn’t include her character because no one wants to see a couple who’s been married for 30 years. There’s no newness, no sparks flying. So Penny became a big part of this new movie.

I don’t love the choice, but I get it.

If I had to pick one scene I really liked, that’s really difficult. But one was the end of Maverick’s conversation with Iceman. Iceman asks him who’s still the best pilot. Maverick’s response was perfect.

Did you watch the movie? What stood out to you about the story or the characters? Chime in below!

-Out of the Wilderness

Elvis the movie experience!

Good Luck Charm… Obviously it was expected that Tom Hanks would do a great job but I’ll just echo what everyone is saying… the acting was amazing. And all I can really say is, Austin Butler. Austin Butler. Austin Freakin’ Butler! He played Elvis and I’m not exaggerating when I say that, at times, I wasn’t sure if I was watching Austin or the real Elvis. He was THAT good.

It’s Now or Never… The movie’s been out for a few weeks so my parents and I watched it kind of late in the game. Soon, I’m sure it’ll be out of theaters and on its way to Netflix or Redbox or whatever. But even on a random Tuesday at noon, we could only get tickets in the front row. It was THAT crowded.

Suspicious Minds… Even as a big Elvis fan over the last few years, there was quite a lot of backstory that I hadn’t heard before, my favorite being everything that went into the ’68 Comeback Special. I won’t spoil anything but just the dynamics and suspicious minds surrounding that whole performance (and the lack of Christmas songs 😉 ) was really interesting to follow along with. I have a huge and whole new appreciation for “If I Can Dream,” as well. It was THAT powerful.

I had a few questions in yesterday’s post about the movie– what to expect, etc. Here are are the follow up answers….

1. Will it live up to the great reviews it’s been getting? And then some.

2. Will it include a few of my favorite Elvis songs, like “Tiger Man,” “Love Letters,” or “An American Trilogy”? The montage of music throughout the movie was simply amazing. “An American Trilogy” in the first few minutes, and “Tiger Man” as part of a scene later on. I didn’t hear “Love Letters” but now after seeing the movie, it wouldn’t have really fit anywhere.

3. The ’68 Comeback Special is one of my favorite performances. Will the movie capture it well? So, so, so, so, so, so, SO WELL.

Go see the movie. Especially while it’s still in theaters. Just get your tickets early so you aren’t stuck in the front row. 😉

-Out of the Wilderness