"Playing for Keeps" is a song originally recorded by Elvis Presley. Its first release on record was on January 4, 1957, on a single with "Too Much" on the other side. "Playing for Keeps" reached number 34 in the United States, while "Too Much" spent 3 weeks at number 1. In 1959, the song was included on Elvis's album For LP Fans Only (an unusual album for Presley because all the songs on it had been already released one to almost five years prior).
The song was written by Sun Studio house band steel guitar and bass player Stan Kesler (words and lyrics), who wrote or co-wrote five songs in total for Elvis Presley: "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone", "I Forgot to Remember to Forget", "Thrill of Your Love", "Playing for Keeps", and "If I'm a Fool (For Loving You)". Elvis recorded it on September 1, 1956, at the Radio Recorders Studio in Hollywood, California (at the studio sessions for RCA Victor that were held at Radio Recorders on September 1âÂÂ3). The master recording of "Playing for Keeps" is a splice of two takes: take 7 with the ending from take 18.
Preorders for the single "Too Much" / "Playing For Keeps" reached almost 500,000 copies. Billboard picked the single "Two Much"/"Playing for Keep" for its "Spotlight" section and then (in its January 19, 1957, issue) as one of "This Week's Best Buys":
Mike Eder states his opinion of the side "Playing for Keeps" in his book Elvis Music FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King's Recorded Works:
7-inch single (RCA 47âÂÂ6800, 4 January 1957)
7-inch EP Playing for Keeps (RCA EPA 9561, Germany)
7-inch EP All Shook Up (RCA 75.405, France)