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The History of “Kissin’ Cousins” by Elvis Presley
“Kissin’ Cousins” is a song first recorded by Elvis Presley as the title track for the soundtrack of the 1964 motion picture Kissin’ Cousins. The movie also featured a completely different song, titled “Kissin’ Cousins (No. 2)”, written by Bill Giant, Bernie Baum and Florence Kaye.
The song “Kissin’ Cousins” was written by Fred Wise and Randy Starr. It was published by Elvis Presley’s company Gladys Music, Inc. Elvis Presley recorded his vocals for the song over an earlier-recorded backing track on October 10 (or possibly in the early morning of October 11), 1963.
The song is a medium-tempo rockabilly tune with a catchy melody and a simple, repetitive lyric. The song’s lyrics are about a man who is in love with his cousin. The song begins with the man singing about how he met his cousin at a family reunion and how he immediately fell in love with her. He sings about how they are forbidden to be together because they are cousins, but that he can’t help but love her.
The song’s chorus is a simple, repetitive chant of “Kissin’ cousins, kissin’ cousins, oh, what fun”. The song’s bridge is a more sentimental section where the man sings about how much he loves his cousin and how he wishes they could be together.
The song “Kissin’ Cousins” was released as a single on March 3, 1964. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Elvis Presley’s 14th number-one single in the United States. The song also reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
The song “Kissin’ Cousins” was a critical and commercial success. It was one of Elvis Presley’s biggest hits of the 1960s. The song remains popular today and is considered to be one of Elvis Presley’s classic songs.
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Lyrics
Well I’ve got a gal, she’s as cute as she can be
She’s a distant cousin but she’s not too distant with meWe’ll kiss all night
I’ll squeeze her tight
But we’re kissin’ cousins ‘n that’s what makes it all right
All right, all right, all rightOh I’ve got a girl and she taught me how to live
She can give a lot and she’s got a lot to giveWe’ll kiss all night
I’ll squeeze her tight
But we’re kissin’ cousins ‘n that’s what makes it all right
All right, all right, all rightYes we’re all cousins, that’s what I believe
Because we’re children of Adam and Eve
I got a girl and she wants a lot of love
That’s the kind of trouble I need plenty ofWe’ll kiss all night
I’ll squeeze her tight
But we’re kissin’ cousins ‘n that’ll make it all right
All right, all right, all right
We’ll be kissin’ cousins that’ll make it all right
All right, all right, all rightYes we’re all cousins, that’s what I believe
Because we’re children of Adam and Eve
I got a girl and she wants a lot of love
That’s the kind of trouble I need plenty ofWe’ll kiss all night
I’ll squeeze her tight
But we’ll be kissin’ cousins ‘n that’ll make it all right
All right, all right, all right
We’ll be kissin’ cousins that’ll make it all right
All right, all right, all right
We’ll be kissin’ cousins that’s what makes it all right
All right, all right, all right