It was recorded several times in 1927, first by Charles Hart, but also with successful versions by Vaughn De Leath, Henry Burr, and the duet of Jerry Macy and John Ryan.

In April 1960, after Elvis Presley's two-year service in the United States Army, he recorded the song at the suggestion of his manager Colonel Tom Parker; "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"

was later recorded by several other artists, with versions by Donny Osmond and Merle Haggard becoming top-twenty hits on the pop and country charts, respectively.

"[8] A version by the duet of Jerry Macy and John Ryan was released on Okeh Records (Ok-40866) as the B-side of "Carolina Mine.

with "Penny Wise and Love Foolish" on the B-side, and it peaked at number nineteen on Billboard's Top Pop Singles chart.

In April, Don Cornell released a version without the narrative bridge as the B-side of his RCA Victor single, "Stay With the Happy People.

"[13] Al Jolson recorded a version with the spoken bridge on April 28, 1950, in Los Angeles; Gordon Jenkins conducted the orchestra.

Based on votes sent to the magazine, the song received 71 points from disc jockeys, 71 from record dealers, and 71 from jukebox operators; with an overall score of 71, it was rated "Good.

At the November 1959 DJ Convention held in Nashville, Jim Flaherty handed Chet Atkins a copy of the song with the encouragement of getting "that kid down south (Elvis Presley) who is shaking things up" to record it.

[17] In 1959, Jaye P. Morgan released the song on MGM Records, with "Miss You" on the B-side,[18] and her version peaked at number 65 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart.

[19] In the final months of his service in the United States Army, Elvis Presley began experimenting with new material in anticipation of his return to recording.

He asked everyone else in the studio to leave the session, told Chet Atkins to turn the lights out, and performed the song with the spoken bridge.

Sholes told engineer Bill Porter to ignore Presley's order and asked the singer to do a new take, explaining that the Jordanaires had bumped into their microphone stand while recording in the dark.

The song was released as a single on November 1, 1960, with "I Gotta Know" on the B-side, and pressing was assigned to plants in New Jersey, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles.

Copies (with a sleeve featuring a smiling Presley in a chartreuse shirt against a blue background) were sent to 5,000 disc jockeys.

[35] Three months after its release, the single had sales of two million copies worldwide; that year, the Recording Industry Association of America certified it gold.

a "tender ... sugary ballad ... full of soul and intense and intimate power" defining "one of Presley's darkest moments.

[38] Returning to music in 1968, Presley included the song on his playlist for the NBC special Elvis and performed it live the following year during his first Las Vegas engagement.