Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, made him enormously popular—and controversial.
In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate, just 42 years of age.
Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, blues, and gospel, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. He won three competitive Grammys, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.
How Can You Lose What You Never Had
Elvis Presley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I tell myself when I'm feeling sad
You don't have the right to cry
You believed your own lie
It's your fault because
You thought that she was yours
Think it over once, think it over twice
I know I should be glad, why does it hurt so bad
How can you lose what you never had
You don't have the right to cry
You believed your own lie
It's your fault because
You thought that she was yours
Think it over once, think it over twice
I wish I could take my own advice
I know I should be glad, why does it hurt so bad
How can you lose what you never had
How can you lose what you never had
The lyrics to Elvis Presley's song "How Can You Lose What You Never Had" speak to the feeling of heartbreak and loss that one can experience even when they never truly had a relationship or connection with the person they long for. The opening lines of the song, "How can you lose what you never had. I tell myself when I'm feeling sad," emphasize the irony and despair of wanting something that was never really yours to begin with.
The rest of the song goes on to point out the faults of the singer, who believed their own lies and thought that someone was "theirs" even though there was no real commitment or relationship. The repetition of the lines "you don't have the right to cry, it's your fault because you thought that she was yours," further emphasize the idea that the pain of longing is ultimately self-inflicted.
The final lines of the song reveal the singer's confusion and emotional turmoil, asking "why does it hurt so bad, how can you lose what you never had." These universal feelings of heartbreak and longing for something unattainable make the song relatable to anyone who has experienced unrequited love or the pain of letting go of something that was never really theirs to begin with.
Line by Line Meaning
How can you lose what you never had
It is impossible to lose something that was never yours to begin with.
I tell myself when I'm feeling sad
The singer tries to comfort themselves by reminding themselves that they never really had a claim on this thing they are mourning.
You don't have the right to cry
The singer is chastising themselves for feeling sad about something that was never really theirs to begin with.
You believed your own lie
The artist realizes that they convinced themselves that they had a claim on this thing, even though it was never really theirs.
It's your fault because
The artist places blame on themselves for believing the false idea that they had a claim on something that was never theirs.
You thought that she was yours
The singer is specifically talking about a person they believed they had a claim on, even though they never did.
Think it over once, think it over twice
The singer advises themselves to reexamine their thoughts and beliefs about this situation in order to process their emotions in a healthy way.
I wish I could take my own advice
The artist is struggling to follow their own advice and process their emotions in a healthy way.
I know I should be glad, why does it hurt so bad
The artist knows logically that they have no reason to be sad, but they are still struggling with their emotions around this situation.
How can you lose what you never had
The artist repeats the central theme of the song, emphasizing how impossible it is to lose something that was never truly theirs.
Lyrics © MEMORY LANE MUSIC GROUP, IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Written by: BEN WEISMAN, SID WAYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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