B-side "Mama Liked the Roses" Writer(s) Baker Knight | Label RCA | |
Released April 20, 1970 (1970-04-20) Recorded February 1970, International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada | ||
"The Wonder of You" is a song written by Baker Knight. In 1959, Ray Peterson released it as a single. The song became a Top 40 hit for him on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #25, and also reached #23 in the UK. That same year it was recorded by Ronnie Hilton. His version was also a hit reaching #22 on the UK Singles Chart. The Ray Peterson record briefly re-entered the Hot 100 in 1964. In the early 1960s, the Platters also recorded this song, which appeared on a 1970s compilation The Platters – 30 Golden Hits. In 1969, The Sandpipers recorded an album of the same name including the song. An album of instrumentals of the same name by Nelson Riddle was also released in 2000.
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Elvis Presley version
Elvis Presley recorded a live version of "The Wonder of You" in Las Vegas, Nevada in February 1970. The song was released as a single on April 20, 1970, backed by the song "Mama Liked the Roses". In the United States, both songs charted at #9 together in the spring of 1970. "The Wonder of You" was one of his most successful records in the UK ever, topping the UK Singles Chart for six weeks in the summer of that year. It also stayed at number one in the Irish Charts for three weeks that same year. This was the 59th Top 40 hit of his career. Presley's version also reached number 37 on the US Country Singles chart, and number one on the easy listening chart.
"The Wonder of You" was one of about thirty-five songs Elvis would regularly perform at concerts.
According to Peterson, "He [Elvis] asked me if I would mind if he recorded 'The Wonder of You.' I said, 'You don't have to ask permission; you're Elvis Presley.' He said, 'Yes, I do. You're Ray Peterson.'"
In 2016, an orchestral version of the song was released together with other orchestral versions of Elvis songs in the album The Wonder of You.
Popularity in association football
The song has been adopted by English soccer club Port Vale, which runs out to the song at the start of its home matches, while the club's fans sing the song throughout their matches, periodically with altered lyrics. The Arsenal club also adopted the song as their opening anthem until the 2012–13 season. Scottish club Ross County have also adopted the song as an anthem at the end of home matches.