It was composed by Guy Fletcher in partnership with his writing partner Doug Flett.
[4] The song was first released on Presley's album That's the Way It Is that appeared on November 11, 1970.
Robert Matthew-Walker in his 1995 book Heartbreak Hotel: The Life and Music of Elvis Presley calls the song "massive, slow and uninspired": 'Just Pretend' and 'Life' are similar: massive, slow and uninspired in both material and execution.
These were recorded towards the end of the 6 June session; perhaps Presley was tired.
[3]In 2016, the song appeared on the album The Wonder of You: Elvis Presley with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which included new versions of Presley's songs, reworked and dubbed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.