Elvis Presley’s 1962 hit “Return to Sender” remains one of his most recognizable and beloved tracks, a staple of classic radio even decades after its release. Recorded in the spring of that year, the song quickly climbed the charts and became an anchor point in Presley’s phenomenal early career success. Beyond the catchy tune and clever lyrics, “Return to Sender” holds a significant place in Elvis history, marking both a high point and a turning point for the King of Rock and Roll. It was a standout single that also found its home on the Elvis Presley Return To Sender Album context – specifically, the soundtrack for his film Girls! Girls! Girls!, cementing its place in his cinematic and musical output of the era.
The Genesis of a Hit: Otis Blackwell’s Touch
The song boasted a distinguished origin, co-written by the legendary Hall of Fame songwriter Otis Blackwell. Blackwell was already responsible for penning Presley classics like “Don’t Be Cruel” and “All Shook Up,” and Elvis had also recorded other Blackwell compositions such as “Paralyzed” and “(Such an) Easy Question.” Blackwell had a knack for finding unique titles first and building the story around them. In a 1971 radio documentary, he shared his process: “I try to get titles that I haven’t heard before… Usually, I try to come up with a title first, and then write the story around it.” “Return to Sender” emerged from this method as a promising title to pitch for Elvis.
Interestingly, according to a 1991 interview with Blackwell in Elvis: The Man and His Music magazine, it was Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s manager often criticized for blocking potential hits, who facilitated getting “Return to Sender” to Elvis. Blackwell recounted meeting Parker in New York:
“The first song that Winfield Scott and I wrote for Elvis Presley was ‘Return To Sender’ … they had given us a movie to do [Girls! Girls! Girls!], and in that movie they gave us all these titles to write… We also wrote ‘Return to Sender’, but ‘Return to Sender’ was not one of the titles… Colonel Parker had come to New York… and he asked me did we have any [songs]… I told him that the only two songs were ‘Comin’ In Loaded’—we wrote that for the movie—but the other song was not a title they’d given us. He said, ‘Well, you gotta’ play it for me any way ’cause Elvis loves to hear your stuff.’ So I said, ‘We’ll play this for you … I really believe you should hear it. And if there’s any way it can go in the movie, that would be nice.’ And I played ‘Return To Sender’ for him, and he said, ‘Don’t worry. That will go into the movie. I can tell you that ’cause it’s a great song.’”
From Studio to Silver Screen: Recording and Girls! Girls! Girls!
Elvis recorded “Return to Sender” on March 27, 1962, at the famed Radio Recorders studio in Hollywood. The session featured Presley regulars like guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D. J. Fontana, alongside pianist Dudley Brooks and a notable contribution from Boots Randolph, whose baritone saxophone provided the song’s unforgettable opening riff. The recording took place amidst sessions for the eclectic soundtrack of the film Girls! Girls! Girls!, the Elvis Presley album featuring Return to Sender.
Elvis Presley candid on the set of the movie Girls! Girls! Girls!
The Jordanaires provided extensive backing vocals, which were given significant prominence in the final mix. This presented some irony, as Colonel Parker often argued for lowering the volume of the Jordanaires on RCA recordings to keep Elvis’s voice dominant. However, on “Return to Sender,” their vocal presence is notably strong, complementing and at times nearly matching Presley’s lead vocal intensity. In the movie Girls! Girls! Girls!, Elvis performs the song in a nightclub setting, incorporating movements from the popular “Twist” dance craze of the early sixties – a somewhat curious sight today when viewing the performance of this iconic hit.
Chart Dominance and a Near Miss at #1
Released as a single, “Return to Sender” enjoyed a robust 16-week run on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. It debuted at #68 on October 20, 1962, and surged into the top 10 just two weeks later, where it remained for an impressive 10 weeks. Despite its massive popularity, the single famously peaked at #2. It held the runner-up position for five consecutive weeks starting November 17, 1962, blocked from the top spot by The Four Seasons’ monster hit, “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” While Elvis’s single did reach #1 for a week on the competing Cashbox Top 100 Singles chart, the Billboard Hot 100 is the industry standard, meaning “Return to Sender” is typically not included in the official count of Presley’s numerous #1 records.
Vintage 45 RPM single sleeve for Elvis Presley’s Return to Sender
The End of an Era: A Turning Point in Presley’s Chart History
At the time of “Return to Sender’s” release in late 1962, Elvis Presley seemed invincible on the music charts. It was his 24th major single release for RCA since “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956. In an unprecedented streak, both sides of every one of these singles had charted on Billboard’s Top/Hot 100, and at least one side from each of the 24 releases had reached the top 5. Thirteen of these had hit #1, and “Return to Sender” came incredibly close to being the fourteenth.
However, beneath the surface of this success, cracks were beginning to appear in Presley’s chart dominance. The B-side of “Return to Sender,” a track titled “Where Do You Come From,” barely scraped onto the Hot 100, charting for a single week at #99 on October 27, 1962. While it avoided being the first Presley RCA single side to miss the chart entirely, that distinction would soon fall to “Please Don’t Drag That String Around” in the summer of 1963. From that point onward, many B-sides of Elvis singles failed to chart.
More significantly, after “Return to Sender” completed its chart run in early 1963, the performance of Elvis’s A-sides also began to falter. His next single, “One Broken Heart for Sale,” peaked at #11, becoming the first lead side of an RCA Presley single to miss the top 10. This was followed by a string of relatively underperforming singles in 1964, including “Kissin’ Cousins” (#12), “Kiss Me Quick” (#34), “Viva Las Vegas” (#29), and “Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby (#16). While the onset of Beatlemania in the US certainly played a role, another contributing factor was the departure of key songwriters. Aaron Schroeder, co-writer of #1 hits like “Stuck on You” and “It’s Now or Never,” stopped submitting songs after a 1962 copyright dispute. Similarly, Otis Blackwell’s compositions became less frequent for Elvis after “Return to Sender.” This led to a period where Presley’s singles often consisted of cover versions, lesser-quality material, and film soundtrack songs.
Enduring Legacy: More Than Just a Song
“Return to Sender,” therefore, stands as the final single in Elvis Presley’s remarkable, unbroken run of 24 consecutive major hits reaching the Top 5 of the Billboard charts. It marked the end of an incredible era of chart supremacy. Despite the subsequent shifts in his career trajectory during the mid-sixties, the song itself has endured.
US postage stamp commemorating Elvis Presley featuring his iconic image
Over four decades after his death, “Return to Sender,” alongside phrases like “All Shook Up,” immediately evokes Elvis Presley in the public consciousness. Its cultural resonance was highlighted when the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative Elvis stamp on January 8, 1993 (what would have been his 58th birthday). As noted by Wikipedia, many collectors mailed letters with this stamp to fictitious addresses, hoping to receive them back marked “return to sender,” further linking the phrase indelibly with the King.
Conclusion
From its origins with hitmaker Otis Blackwell to its prominent feature in the film and soundtrack album Girls! Girls! Girls!, “Return to Sender” captured a moment in time for Elvis Presley. Its journey to the near-summit of the Billboard charts cemented its status as a major hit, yet it also signaled the conclusion of his unparalleled initial streak of chart dominance. As both a beloved piece of music history and a marker of a significant turning point in Elvis’s career, “Return to Sender” continues to resonate with fans and stands as a testament to the enduring power of the King of Rock and Roll.
