Austin Butler’s favourite Elvis Presley song
It has been almost two years since Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis took over cinema screens and, more recently, found a home on Netflix, introducing Austin Butler to the world in a way few roles ever could. His transformation into Elvis Presley was more than just a performance. It was a full-body immersion into the voice, movements, emotional rhythms, and contradictions that defined the King of Rock and Roll.
While the film brought renewed interest in Presley’s music and legacy, Butler’s deep connection to Elvis went far beyond the stage. During the press tour, when asked about his favourite Elvis Presley song, Butler gave an answer that fans still talk about. Not because it was a chart-topper. But it was something much more personal.
Many expected him to pick a classic. Maybe Jailhouse Rock or Can’t Help Falling in Love. Instead, Butler hesitated. “I can never answer that question,” he said during an interview with Tom Hanks, who played Colonel Tom Parker in the film. That hesitation made sense. When you have spent years inhabiting an artist’s world, choosing one song feels impossible. But after pausing, he named one. His pick? ‘I’ve Got a Feeling in My Body’.
“It just makes me so happy,” he said. “And it was one of those songs I did not know he sang. The first time I heard it, I thought, ‘This is Elvis?’” That moment of discovery stayed with him. It was not about nostalgia. It was about hearing something fresh in an artist you thought you already knew.
The song comes from Elvis’s 1970s catalogue, a period that often gets overlooked in mainstream conversations. It is full of gospel energy, soul, and spiritual drive. For Butler, the song represented more than just a melody. It was a turning point in how he connected to Elvis’s music, not through the big hits, but through the tracks that showed something deeper.
Butler also mentioned other songs that shaped his understanding of Presley. One of them was Baby, Let’s Play House, an early track that he said helped him understand Elvis’s swagger and raw energy. “That was the one where I went, ‘Oh, I get it. I see why people lost their minds,” Butler said in another interview. He also highlighted Trouble, a song that showed Elvis’s power and stage presence in his early years.
These choices show how Butler approached the role. He did not just play Elvis from the outside. He studied the shifts, the spiritual highs, the early rebellion, and the quieter tracks that carried meaning beyond fame. For him, the songs were tools to find the man behind the myth.
Revisiting that interview now feels like opening a door back into the process. Butler’s favourite Elvis songs are not just fan picks. They are markers of a deeper relationship between actor and character. And for fans, they are a reminder that Presley’s music is still full of surprises if you are willing to go beyond the greatest hits.
If you have not watched Elvis yet or feel like revisiting it, now is the perfect time. Austin Butler’s performance is rich with detail, and knowing the songs that shaped his process makes it even more powerful. The film is streaming on Netflix, and it is well worth your weekend.
Austin Butler’s favourite Elvis Presley songs
- ‘I’ve Got a Feeling in My Body’
- ‘Baby, Let’s Play House’
- ‘Trouble’