Suspicion (Terry Stafford song)

"Suspicion" is a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman for Elvis Presley which became a major hit in 1964 via a recording by Presley sound-alike Terry Stafford.

Elvis Presley version

One of 25 songs written by Pomus/Shuman for Elvis Presley, "Suspicion" was recorded by Presley on March 19, 1962 in Studio B of RCA's Nashville studio and issued on Presley's album Pot Luck released June 15, 1962. In April 1964, when the Terry Stafford version of "Suspicion" was in the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100, the Presley original was given a US single release with "Kiss Me Quick" as the flip, and it was "Kiss Me Quick" which was the favored side, reaching #34 nationally. "Suspicion" peaked at #103.

In Australia "Kiss Me Quick" and "Suspicion" appeared on the chart as a double A-side hit with a #56 peak: the actual format for this Australian release was a four track EP entitled Elvis Sings Kiss Me Quick' which featured "Kiss Me Quick" and "Suspicion" as A-side tracks with a B-side composed of "Sentimental Me" and "I Want You With Me".

"Suspicion" was also issued as a single in several European territories to vie with the Terry Stafford version with the Presley version charting in the Netherlands and the Dutch chart for Belgium with respective peaks of #9 and #6 and also in Norway where its chart peak was #9 and in Denmark where it peaked at #3:^[1] in its European single release "Suspicion" featured "It Hurts Me" as B-side.

"Suspicion" would belatedly afford Presley a Top Ten hit in the UK where its December 1976 single release would rise to a peak of #9 on the chart dated February 5, 1977.

Terry Stafford version

After an unsuccessful 1963 affiliation with A&M Records, Terry Stafford cut a demo of "Suspicion" at the Los Angeles studio of Bob Summers: Summers, best known as the producer of the 1959 Larry Hall hit "Sandy", played all the instruments on the demo which Stafford and Stafford's manager pitched to record companies in the Los Angeles area and also to local radio stations including KFWB where disc jockey Gene Weed was impressed enough with the demo to take it next door to the headquarters of the newly formed Crusader Records. John Fisher, the president of Crusader, spent several hours remastering the demo with the resultant track becoming the second single released on Crusader.^[2] The song had a synthesizer backing, one of the earliest such uses in pop music.

After breaking out in San Bernardino in January 1964 "Suspicion" had its top-tier market breakout in Los Angeles in February 1964 peaking in March 1964 at respectively number 2 and number 4 on the hit parades of KRLA and KFWB.^[3] Nationally "Suspicion" rose from number 7 to number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated 4 April 1964, when the chart's top five hits were all by the Beatles. "Suspicion" broke the Beatles' monopoly on the top five spots on the chart by rising to #3, its peak position, the next week.^[4] Stafford's "Suspicion" reached #31 in the UK Singles Chart.

Cover versions

"Suspicion" first became a C&W chart hit in 1971 via a remake by Bobby G. Rice which reached #33 C&W, with the track being included on Rice's debut album Hit After Hit. In 1988 "Suspicion" charted for Ronnie McDowell whose version, taken from McDowell's I'm Still Missing You album, reached #27 C&W.^[5]

In 1964, Hong Kong songstress Rebecca Pan covered '"Suspicion" on her LP album I Love You, released by Diamond Records.

A maniacal version of the song was recorded by Vivian Stanshall, produced by Keith Moon.

"Suspicion" has also been covered by Jimmy London, Millicent Martin, and Delroy Wilson.

Phil Spector composition claim

In a 2002 interview with journalist Mick Brown, record producer Phil Spector claimed he wrote and/or produced "Suspicion", but did not receive credit: "I made 'Suspicion' for Terry Stafford -- I didn't get any credit or any money. I didn't care. I just loved making records."^[6] However, in the same interview, Spector also made claims of producing records by Elvis Presley without credit, and acting as a translator for the United Nations while a teenager;^[6] none of these unlikely claims have been corroborated by anyone else.

References

↑ http://danskehitlister.dk/?song_id=587
↑ http://keepkey.yochanan.net/terry.htm
↑ http://www.las-solanas.com/arsa/charts_item.php?hsid=10230
↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7318700/the-fab-five-on-this-date-in-1964-the-beatles-ranked-nos-1-5-on
↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
1 2 Tearing Down the Wall of Sound by Mick Brown, pp 375.

Ronnie McDowell

Notable singles	"Wandering Eyes" "Older Women" "Watchin' Girls Go By" "I Just Cut Myself" "Step Back" "Personally" "You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation" "You Made a Wanted Man of Me" "I Dream of Women Like You" "I Got a Million of 'Em" "In a New York Minute" "Love Talks" "All Tied Up" "It's Only Make Believe" "Suspicion" "Sea of Heartbreak" "Unchained Melody" "Love Me Tender"

Related articles	Discography Epic Records MCA Records Curb Records

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