"I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" (sometimes called "You're Right, I'm Left, She's Gone") is a song written by Bill Taylor and

Stan Kesler Stanley Augustus Kesler (August 11, 1928October 26, 2020) was an American musician, record producer and songwriter, whose career began at the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. He co-wrote several of Elvis Presley's early recordings including "I' ...

, and originally 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 ...

for

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee on February 1, 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Jo ...

. Released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

in April 1955 (with "

Baby Let's Play House "Baby Let's Play House" is a song written and originally recorded by Arthur Gunter in 1954 on the Excello Records label, and covered by Elvis Presley the following year on Sun Records. A line from the song ("I'd rather see you dead, little girl, ...

" on the opposite side), the song made it into the top 10 of U.S. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s C&W Best Sellers in Stores chart.

Composition

The song was written by Bill Taylor and Stan Kesler, members of a

band called Snearly Ranch Boys.

Recording

The commercial (released) version was recorded by Elvis in February–March 1955 at Sun Records' Studio in Memphis. The recording features Elvis on acoustic guitar and his regular sidemen

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 ...

on electric guitar and

Bill Black William Patton Black Jr. (September 17, 1926 – October 21, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader who is noted as one of the pioneers of rock and roll. He played in Elvis Presley's early trio, The Blue Moon Boys. Black later formed Bill ...

on bass. Both are credited on the record's label (as Scotty & Bill). Session drummer Jimmie Lott was "brought in" for this recording by

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 ...

Description and critical analysis

The song's lyrics deal with a heartbreak, but in a humorous way. The singer says to his friend that the friend was right in warning him that the girl would break his heart. But the singer still had to find out for himself if she was "the one" for him. According to Susan M. Doll in her book ''Understanding Elvis'', the song "features a common characteristic of country music — the passive acceptance of the singer's fate and the subsequent melancholy it brings," as the person who sings the song "passively resigns himself to the fact" that his girl is gone. Musically, it is a rockabilly ballad. Originally Elvis Presley recorded it in a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

arrangement, but the version that was released was "something of a novelty", which "was more in line with the commercial considerations of the day". Mike Eder in his ''Elvis Music FAQ'' finds the recording too polished and too similar to other Elvis' songs of that time: At about the one-minute mark, the song features Elvis' "trademark hiccup vocal break".

Track listing

Charts

References

External links

*
"I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" on the Elvis Presley official website
{{Authority control 1955 songs 1955 singles Elvis Presley songs Songs written by Stan Kesler