I forgot to remember to forget her,
I can't seem to get her off my mind.
I thought I'd never miss her,
But I found out somehow
I think about her almost all the time.

The day she went away
I made myself a promise
That I'd soon forget we ever met.
But something sure is wrong,
'Cause I'm so blue and lonely.
I forgot to remember to forget.

The day she went away
I made myself a promise
That I'd soon forget we ever met,
Well, but something sure is wrong,
'Cause I'm so blue and lonely.
I forgot to remember to forget

1955, SUN 217, Mystery Train / I Forgot To Remember To Forget

Sun Studios, Memphis, July 11, 1955

I Forgot to Remember to Forget was written by Stanley Kesler and Charlie Feathers in 1955, and first recorded by Elvis in July of that year at Sun Records. Instrumentaion was provived by Elvis (guitar), Scotty Moore (guitar), Bill Black (bass), and Johnny Bernero (drums). I Forgot to Remember to Forget reached number one for five weeks on Billboard's Country Juke Box chart and number one for two weeks on the Country Best- Seller chart. It remained on the charts for an incredible 39 weeks - the longest of any Elvis single release on any Billboard chart. The sheet music from Hi-Lo Music featured the names of Elvis and Toni Arden as performers. While Elvis was at Sun, it was the only sheet of music to mention him as the performer. Arden's release (RCA 20-6346) did not chart. Elvis frequently sang I Forgot to Remember to Forget on tour in late 1955, including performances on the Louisiana Hayride.

I Forgot to remember to Forget was one of the most recorded songs at Sun Records. Almost all of the Sun artists recorded it at one time or another, including co-composer Charlie Feathers. On Feathers's recording, co-composer Stanley Kesler played the fiddle. Perhaps the definitive version was Johnny Cash's 1958 Sun release (Sun 321), which featured Charlie Rich on piano. Jerry Lee Lewis's February 9, 1961, recording of the song featured Hank Garland (guitar), Bob Moore (bass), and Buddy Harman (drums), all three of whom would later play for Elvis.