Radio 2 announces that Suspicious Minds is the nation’s favourite Elvis Presley song. It takes the Number 1 spot in Your Ultimate Elvis Song, the Top 40 chart of single releases by Elvis as voted for by the station’s listeners – with over 100 000 votes cast - to mark what would have been his 90th birthday on 8th January 2025.
Hosted by Vernon Kay, Your Ultimate Elvis Song is broadcast on Radio 2 from 3-5pm and on BBC Sounds on New Year’s Day, and also features some special words for the listeners from Priscilla Presley who introduces the Number 1 track. In the Number 2 spot is In The Ghetto, Number 3 is If I Can Dream, Number 4 is Always On My Mind and Number 5 is Can't Help Falling In Love. The full Top 40 chart is listed below.
For the vote, which launched in November in Vernon’s mid-morning show (9.30am-12 noon) - the UK’s most listened to radio programme with 6.8m weekly listeners (RAJAR Q3 2024) - and closed on 13th December, listeners were asked to select up to five of their favourite tracks from Elvis’s 90 Top 20 UK hits. In Your Ultimate Elvis Song, Vernon counts down the listeners’ Top 40 chart and reveals more extraordinary facts and stats and behind-the-scenes insights from BBC Archive interview clips with Elvis himself.
Vernon says: “The King has earned another crown! Radio 2 listeners have had their say and I couldn’t be happier with their favourite hit, and to have it introduced by Priscilla Presley is such an honour. I’m a huge Elvis fan so I can't wait to bring you two hours of the very best from his incredible catalogue of unforgettable songs.”
In the show, Priscilla Presley, says: “Hello everyone this is Priscilla Presley, and I want to thank you. To everyone who has voted and shown this outpouring of love ahead of such a special anniversary, it's wonderful knowing just how much Elvis’ music means to you all and that he lives on through the beautiful memories that remind you of him and his amazing career, and I send you all my love. To pick out one track from his vast catalogue is such a big decision. But between you, that's what you’ve done. So let's play Your Ultimate Elvis Song.”
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2, says: “We love to showcase the broad musical tastes of our listeners at Radio 2 and, as more than a hundred thousand votes have been cast, the enduring appeal of Elvis’ music, decades after he first serenaded his way into our hearts in the 1950s, is more than proved. These seminal songs have crossed through to new generations ever since, and I’m looking forward to tuning in on New Year’s Day.”
Elvis is also celebrated on the station on New Year’s Day with Elvis Presley, My King (7-8pm) presented by the host of the Radio 2 Blues Show, Cerys Matthews, and When Wales Welcomes The King (8-9pm), presented by Radio 2’s weekday early breakfast presenter, Owain Wyn Evans – further details below. All the programmes are available on BBC Sounds from New Year’s Day in a new Radio 2 Celebrates Elvis collection which includes Johnnie Walker Meets Priscilla Presley (first broadcast in 2015) where Priscilla talks about her life with one of the world’s greatest figures and the love of her life. Highlights include her childhood, their first meeting in Germany, Elvis’ love of gospel and opera, his career and the ’68 comeback special
There is also an Elvis Night on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer (Saturday 4th January 2025) featuring Elvis Presley: '68 Comeback Special (8.20pm), Jailhouse Rock (9.35pm), Tales Of Rock And Roll: Heartbreak Hotel (11.10pm), and ...Sings Elvis (11.45pm).
The Top 40 favourite Elvis singles as voted for by Radio 2 listeners are:
1 Suspicious Minds
2 In The Ghetto
3 If I Can Dream
4 Always On My Mind
5 Can't Help Falling In Love
6 The Wonder Of You
7 An American Trilogy
8 Burning Love
9 I Just Can't Help Believin'
10 Jailhouse Rock
11 Love Me Tender
12 A Little Less Conversation (Elvis vs JXL)
13 Are You Lonesome Tonight?
14 Viva Las Vegas
15 Hound Dog
16 Return To Sender
17 (You're The) Devil In Disguise
18 Wooden Heart
19 Heartbreak Hotel
20 (Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame
21 It's Now Or Never
22 The Girl Of My Best Friend
23 Blue Suede Shoes
24 All Shook Up
25 Way Down
26 Guitar Man
27 That's All Right
28 Blue Christmas
29 Crying In The Chapel
30 Don't Cry Daddy
31 King Creole
32 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
33 Suspicion
34 (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear
35 Moody Blue
36 One Night
37 Don't (with The Jordinaires)
38 Such A Night
39 She's Not Yo
40 Promised Land
