Some of the writers behind Elvis Presley‘s songs were true masters of the craft. Case in point, the artist who penned Elvis’ “A Little Less Conversation” wrote a hit for Avicii. The artist discussed working for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and working for the King of EDM.
A songwriter broke through writing songs for Elvis Presley before having his own career
Mac Davis was a songwriter extraordinaire. In addition to having a successful country career of his own, he wrote hits for others, including Bruno Mars’ “Young Girls” and Avicii’s “Addicted to You.” He might be most famous today for writing Elvis classics such as “In the Ghetto,” “A Little Less Conversation,” “Don’t Cry Daddy,” and “Memories.” During a 2015 interview with Billboard, Davis discussed writing “Memories” for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
“That was the first real hit I had,” he recalled. “I wrote for Elvis’ comeback special. They had asked for a song about looking back over the years, and oddly enough, I had to write it in one night. I stayed up all night at [session musician] Billy Strange’s house in Los Angeles. He had a little office set up in his garage. I wrote it right there.”
While “Memories” kickstarted Davis’ career, the most famous tune he wrote for Elvis is either “In the Ghetto” or “A Little Less Conversation.” The former was a hit in the 1960s when protest songs were really popular in the United States. “A Little Less Conversation” is another song from the 1960s but it only became a phenomenon when Junkie XL remixed it in 2002. Thanks to Junkie XL’s dance version of the song, it’s now one of the most famous tracks in Elvis’ catalog.
Mac Davis had to rewrite his song to accommodate Avicii
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Even at age 73, Davis’ guitar was never far from his side. “I’ve got it in my lap two or three times a day,” he said. “I play golf, come home, put my guitar in my lap and start working on something.”
Davis gave fans insight into the writing of Avicii’s hit “Addicted to You.” “I did have a little taste of success with Avicii and a song called ‘Addicted to You,’ which I changed to accommodate his style,” he recalled. “It was a big international hit and got me hungry again. It made me feel like I’m still viable at the ripe old age of 73. I can still move around and sing on key.”
How Avicii’s songs performed on the dance charts in the United States
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“Addicted to You” became a phenomenon in clubs. The track reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart for a week. It charted for 13 weeks in total.
“Addicted to You” appeared on Avicii’s album True. That record climbed to No. 5 on the Billboard 200, making it the EDM star’s only top 40 album. True lasted on the Billboard 200 for 42 weeks.
“In the Ghetto,” “A Little Less Conversation,” and “Addicted to You” are all testaments to Davis’ incredible talent.
