"Calling Elvis" is a song written by

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

and performed by

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...

. It first appeared on the final studio album by the band, ''

On Every Street ''On Every Street'' is the sixth and final studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 9 September 1991 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The follow-up to the band's massively ...

'' (1991). It was released as the first single from that album, peaking at number 21 in the United Kingdom, and reaching the Top 10 in numerous other countries. It was included on the 2005 compilation '' The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations''. A live version of the song also appears on the 1993 live album '' On the Night''.

Content

The song is about an Elvis fan who believes

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

is still alive, making references to many of his songs, including "

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being g ...

", " Love Me Tender", " Love Me (Treat Me Like a Fool)", "

Don't Be Cruel "Don't Be Cruel" is a song that was recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Otis Blackwell in 1956.Victor (2008), ''The Elvis Encyclopedia'', p.115-116 It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was listed #197 in '' Rol ...

" and " Return to Sender", as well as the expression "

Elvis has left the building "Elvis has left the building" is a phrase that was often used by public address announcers at the conclusion of Elvis Presley concerts in order to disperse audiences who lingered in hopes of an encore. It has since become a catchphrase and punchli ...

". Mark Knopfler has been quoted as saying the idea came to him one day when he left his phone off the hook and his brother-in-law tried repeatedly to get hold of him. Upon finally doing so, the brother-in-law remarked Mark was harder to get hold of than Elvis.

Music video

The music video was jointly directed by

Gerry Anderson Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist. He remains famous for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s produ ...

of '' Thunderbirds'' fame and

Steve Barron Steven Barron (born 4 May 1956) is an Irish-British filmmaker. He is best known for directing the music videos for the songs "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Summer of '69" and " Run to You" by Bryan Adams, " Money for Nothing" by Dire Stra ...

. It includes several members of the band represented in

marionette A marionette (; french: marionnette, ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or reveale ...

form, as well as various Thunderbirds characters and a woman.

Track listings

7-inch and cassette single :A. "Calling Elvis" :B. " Iron Hand" 12-inch and CD single #"Calling Elvis" #"Iron Hand" #"Millionaire Blues" US 7-inch single and Japanese mini-CD single :A. "Calling Elvis" – 6:25 :B. "Millionaire Blues" – 4:23

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1991 songs 1991 singles Dire Straits songs Songs about Elvis Presley Songs written by Mark Knopfler Song recordings produced by Mark Knopfler Number-one singles in Italy