'The Wonder of You' by Elvis Presley: The making of The King's classic love song turned football anthem

12 February 2026, 10:56

Elvis Presley kicked off the 1970s with one of his most enduring hits.

Elvis Presley changed music forever in the 1950s, recording many of his greatest tracks during those dizzy early years before he joined the army.

He didn't really miss a beat on his return, and while there was a bit of a wobble in the middle of the following decade as The Beatles took over, after his triumphant 1968 Comeback Special he was back knocking out the classics.

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A run kicked off by 'If I Can Dream' continued with hits like 'In The Ghetto' and 'Suspicious Minds' and into the 1970s he continued the run first with 'Kentucky Rain' and then 'The Wonder of You'.

But do you know who wrote (and who first recorded) the soaring love song? Or which football teams have more recently adopted it as their own?

Read on for everything you ever wanted to know about Elvis Presley's 'The Wonder of You'.

Who wrote 'The Wonder of You'?

Elvis Presley, Kate Moss - The Wonder of You (Official Music Video) ft. Kate Moss

The release of 'The Wonder of You' marked the start of a new decade for Elvis Presley but the song actually dates back to much earlier than that.

Birmingham, Alabama songwriter Baker Knight wrote the song way back in 1958, with it originally being crafted as a gospel number, rather than the powerful pop rocker it ended up being for The King.

Baker Knight is the man responsible for 'Lonesome Town' and 'Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time', as well as songs for Dean Martin ('Somewhere There's a Someone' and many others), and Frank Sinatra ('Anytime At All').

What do the lyrics of 'The Wonder of You' mean?

Elvis Presley - The Wonder of You (Official Lyric Video)

Elvis Presley's songs were usually (though not always) pretty straightforward and 'The Wonder of You' is one of those.

It's about a guy, who for motives he can't exactly pin down ("I guess I'll never know the reason why"), is loved by basically the best woman around.

She gives him strength, hope, consolation... she lends a hand, brightens his world with her smile, makes him feel like (of course) a king.

Who recorded and released 'The Wonder of You' before Elvis Presley?

The Wonder of You

It's claimed that Vince Edwards was the first person to record 'The Wonder of You', but if it exists that version has never surfaced.

The story goes that Knight wrote 'The Wonder of You' for Perry Como, who would later record his 'Sweet Adorable You'.

But Como's arranger Dick Pierce is said to have instead that Ray Peterson record the song instead.

And it was a decent sized hit for the singer, who took it to number 25 in the US and a couple better in the UK in 1959.

Peterson would tell the story of Elvis asking his permission to cover the song.

"He asked me if I would mind if he recorded 'The Wonder of You'," Peterson said.

"I said, 'You don't have to ask permission; you're Elvis Presley.' He said, 'Yes, I do. You're Ray Peterson.'"

When did Elvis Presley record and release 'The Wonder of You' and where did it get in the charts?

With Ray Peterson's blessing, then, Elvis recorded his version of 'The Wonder of You'.

Well, he didn't go into a studio and record it. He got up on stage at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 19, 1970, and performed it for a crowd of adoring fans.

Elvis played over 130 shows in 1970, with nearly all of them (114 or so) being at the hotel's Showroom Internationale.

He played two sets on February 19, and it was at his second, midnight set that he performed the fateful version of 'The Wonder of You'.

According to the records we can find, it was only the third time he'd played the song in concert, with the first two being at his sets at the same venue a day earlier.

The Wonder of You (Official Audio)

It's fair to say it went down a storm, and the song soon became a regular fixture The King's live setlist, being played well over 100 times before Elvis finally left the building in 1977.

That third performance was recorded and released as a single only two months after it was recorded, hitting shelves on April 20, 1970, with studio track 'Mama Liked the Roses' on the flip-side.

The song snuck into the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 at number nine, and in the UK it went all the way to number one.

'The Wonder of You' was also included on the double live album On Stage, which came out on June 23, 1970 and got to number 13 on the US albums charts.

Elvis's live vocals on 'The Wonder of You' were recycled for the 2016 album The Wonder of You, being set to new orchestral arrangements by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Which football teams have adopted 'The Wonder of You' as an anthem?

Arsenal - The Wonder of you

With its soaring melody and uplifting dynamics, it's no surprise that 'The Wonder of You' has become a stadium favourite.

Port Vale long ago adopted the song, with players coming out to the track at Vale Park. The fans often sing the track (with extra whooos and whaaaas). Ross County also play the track at the end of their home games.

And a year after Arsenal moved to The Emirates, they started playing the song before matches, but – with many fans feeling the choice was a little contrived – it eventually fell out of favour (they now have a singalong to the "North London Forever" chorus of Gooner musician Louis Dunford's 'The Angel').

Who has covered 'The Wonder of You'?

The Wonder of You

We of course have to point out (again) that despite being the best known version today, Elvis's version of 'The Wonder of You' was a cover itself - and he wasn't the first to rework the song.

After Ray Peterson had a hit with the track and before Presley got his hands on it, Ronnie Hilton took it to number 22 on the UK singles charts as early as 1959.

The Wonder Of You

The Platters also recorded a version for their 1968 album Sweet, Sweet Lovin' while The Sandpipers named their 1969 album after their cover.

Since Elvis performed the song it feels as though most major artists have been scared off trying to match him, but in more recent years the likes of Robson Green, Jennifer Holliday and G4 have given it a go.