The Writer of Elvis Presley’s ‘Don’t Cry Daddy’ Didn’t Get It

Elvis Presley‘s “Don’t Cry Daddy” was written by a country musician who wrote songs for numerous other stars. The country musician in question wasn’t a big fan of the track at first. “Don’t Cry Daddy” went on to become a hit and it appeared on one of the “Don’t Be Cruel” singer’s most important records.

Elvis Presley’s ‘Don’t Cry Daddy’ was ‘just another day in the life’ of its songwriter

Mac Davis was a country star who also wrote tunes for other artists, including Weezer, Bruno Mars, Avicii, and Dolly Parton. The three most famous songs he wrote for Elvis were “In the Ghetto,” “A Little Less Conversation” (which only became famous decades after its release), and “Don’t Cry Daddy.” The latter was one of the most successful ballads of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll‘s comeback era. “Don’t Cry Daddy” typifies the sentimental, soul-inspired songs Elvis released in the late 1960s and early 1970s. 

During an interview posted on the Elvis Information Network, Davis discussed his feelings about “Don’t Cry Daddy.” “I didn’t know at the time that it was a special song,” he said. “It was just another day in the life of a songwriter. We write songs about our lives and about things that happen to us. We change them around. We hear something that’s interesting to us, a title or something and we change it around to fit so more people will be interested in it.”

Mac Davis revealed what it was like to meet Elvis Presley

Davis explained his approach to songwriting. “You don’t want to have everything be about you as a songwriter,” he explained. “You want people to hear it, so you write things that will appeal to everybody. You pour your feelings into something, and you change it around and try to make it about life. You have to alter it a little bit because, unfortunately, life doesn’t rhyme.”

Davis recalled playing the song for Elvis at the “All Shook Up” singer‘s Bel Air home. The experience was meaningful for him, as Elvis and James Dean were his heroes when he was young. “I mean, that was a big deal to me,” he recalled. “To be in Elvis’ house and all of the smoked mirrors and the black and red flocked wallpaper, that was it, man.” Davis got to meet Priscilla Presley and got to hold Lisa Marie Presley, who was in her infancy. 

How ‘Don’t Cry Daddy’ made history

“Don’t Cry Daddy” was a hit in the United States when it was released alongside the far more famous “Rubberneckin’.” The tunes reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Don’t Cry Daddy” and “Rubberneckin’” lasted on the chart for 13 weeks.

“Don’t Cry Daddy” appeared on some editions of the album From Elvis in Memphis. That record is widely considered one of the best in Elvis’ catalog, alongside The Sun Sessions. The expanded edition of From Elvis in Memphis also includes other Elvis essentials such as “Suspicious Minds,” “Kentucky Rain,” and “In the Ghetto.” The record reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 34 weeks.

Davis didn’t understand the importance of “Don’t Cry Daddy” when he wrote it, but the tune went on to find success.