"Tryin' to Get to You" is a song written by R&B singer songwriters Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton. It was originally recorded by the Washington DC vocal group

The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles, six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in ...

in 1954 and released in mid-1954 on

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

70391. The format of the title on The Eagles' record was "Tryin' to Get to You", with an apostrophe. The song was also recorded by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

in 1955 on his then unissued Sun recordings. Presley recorded five versions of the song. The first on March 23, 1955, and the second on July 11, 1955, with the second session being released during his lifetime. He also recorded live versions of the song on '' Elvis (NBC TV Special)'', '' Elvis: As Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis'', and ''

Elvis in Concert '' ''Elvis In Concert'' is a Death, posthumous 1977 television special starring Elvis Presley. It was Presley's third and final TV special, following ''Elvis'' (a.k.a. ''The Elvis (1968 TV program), '68 Comeback Special'') and ''Aloha from Hawai ...

''. On the earlier version that appeared on the 1999 album, ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...

'', Presley recorded this song while simultaneously playing the piano (and not aided by his rhythm guitar, as previously believed). Because his piano playing was not up to the expected standards, producer

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American disc jockey, songwriter and record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, R ...

erased the sound of the piano on the master take so, in addition to Elvis' vocals, all one hears is the lead guitar, bass, and drums. Elvis' piano is heard on the July session version and appeared on his self-titled 1956 LP. Presley's vocal delivery appears to be influenced by that of The Eagles' lead singer,
although taking the two warbles at 0.56 and 2.12 one step forward by extending his vocals so that they meet, then join (and without any stops nor breathing space in between), the first and second verses. In addition,

Scotty Moore Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968. Rock critic ...

's guitar solo on the Presley recording replaces a saxophone solo heard on the original. The track was released on Presley's March 1956 RCA debut album ''

''. It also featured on the famous 1976 ''

The Sun Sessions ''The Sun Sessions'' is a compilation album by American singer Elvis Presley, issued by RCA Records in 1976. The album contains Presley's earliest commercial recordings, made in Memphis, Tennessee, for Sun Records in 1954 and 1955. RCA issued th ...

'' release and on numerous other Elvis efforts and collections as well. "Trying To Get To You" was next released by The Teen Kings with

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

in March 1956 as Je-Wel JE-101 backed with "Ooby Dooby" on the B-side. A version by

Johnny Carroll Johnny Carroll (born John Lewis Carrell; October 23, 1937January 13, 1995) was an American rockabilly musician. Biography Born John Lewis Carrell in Cleburne, Texas, Carrell's last name was printed incorrectly as Carroll in his first recordin ...

also then ensued, being made on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

on May 19, 1956 (Decca 9–29940).

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...

was the next to give treatment of the song in 1959. After

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer and songwriter. He was previously the lead vocalist of the rhythm and blues, R&B and Rock music, rock band The Animals and the funk band War (band), War. He is regarded as one of the Br ...

performed it a few times on his own shows he reunited with

The Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...

in 1983 and recorded the song in the studio. It appeared on their album '' Ark''. It was also included on their live shows before they disbanded again in early 1984. Later it was also covered by

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is a retired American musician. He achieved commercial success and popularity throughout the 1960s and 1970s as a singer and guitarist, characterized as a versatile and influential art ...

Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American Country music, country singer. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold almost 50 million albums worldwide ...

, Susie Arioli,

Gene Summers David Eugene Summers (January 3, 1939 – February 17, 2021) was an American rockabilly singer, songwriter and guitarist. His most famous recordings include the late 50s " School of Rock 'n Roll", " Straight Skirt", " Nervous", " Gotta Lotta T ...

, Phil Seymour, and many others. The song was adapted by

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

to create "

In Spite of All the Danger "In Spite of All the Danger" is the first song recorded by the Quarrymen, then consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, pianist John Lowe, and drummer Colin Hanton. McCartney wrote the song and Harrison provided the guitar ...

", the first ever original song recorded by

the Quarrymen The Quarrymen (also written as "the Quarry Men") are a British skiffle and rock and roll group, formed by John Lennon in Liverpool in 1956, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Originally consisting of Lennon and several school friends, the ...

, the precursor to the Beatles.''Way Beyond Compare: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, 1957-1965'', Three Rivers Press, 2008, p.2.

References

Further reading