Elvis Presley’s Songwriters Got in Trouble For Giving Him the Song ‘Don’t’

Elvis Presley liked his song “Don’t.” His music publisher was upset he even heard it in the first place. One of Elvis’ songwriters said that writing a hit song for the “Heartbreak Hotel” singer could lead to problems.

A writer of Elvis Presley’s ‘Don’t’ felt he should’ve been treated as a hero

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller collaborated on several of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s most famous songs, including “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog,” and “Don’t.” In the 2009 book Hound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography, Stoller discussed the origin of the latter. “Saturday morning, Jerry and I got together and wrote ‘Don’t,'” he recalled. “On Sunday, we got Young Jessie of The Flairs to sing the demo in an Elvis-like mode. (Jessie had recently substituted for Leon Hughes on The Coasters’ recordings of ‘Searchin” and ‘Young Blood.’)”

“I brought ‘Don’t’ to Elvis on the set that Monday,” he added. “He liked it, recorded it, and by January of the following year — 1958 — it hit No. 1, only three months after ‘Jailhouse Rock’ had also gone to the top. You’d think we’d be heroes. But in the court of the King, it didn’t work that way.” Freddy Bienstock, the music publisher, was upset that Leiber and Stoller let Elvis sing “Don’t” without his knowledge.

Colonel Tom Parker felt Elvis Presley was given too much autonomy in the situation

Leiber recalled what Bienstock said about the logistics of the situation. “We don’t have a contract,” Bienstock said. “Nothing’s written down. You just don’t hand a song to Elvis without a contract. In fact, you don’t hand a song to Elvis at all. You hand a song to me or to Jean Aberbach. Then we get the business straight first.” Aberbach was another music publisher.

Bienstock also discussed Colonel Tom Parker’s feelings about “Don’t.” Parker was upset that Stoller took the tune directly to Elvis without going through him first. Leiber didn’t think that Stoller had been deceitful in any way, as he was just talking to Elvis directly. Leiber felt that everything would be alright as long as “Don’t” turned out to be a hit, but Bienstock was upset anyway. Regardless, Elvis liked “Don’t.”

How ‘Don’t’ impacted both popular culture and the world of musical theater

During a 2022 interview with Variety, Stoller looked back on his career. In it, he was asked if he ever wrote a song for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll that deserved more love and attention. He cited “Don’t” as a song that should have been bigger.

While it’s not as ubiquitous as “Can’t Help Falling in Love” or “Blue Christmas,” “Don’t” still has a place in popular culture. The tune inspired covers by singer and actor Zoë Kravitz as well as Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. The tune was also part of Smokey Joe’s Cafe, a musical review based on the songs of Leiber and Stoller.

Beinstock had his issues with the way “Don’t” made its way to Elvis but that didn’t stop the song from connecting with listeners.