Songfacts®:

• This was written by the Country singer Bobby Bare and his friend Bill Parsons. It was inspired by the success of Elvis Presley and his conscription into the army.
• Owing to a mix up at his record label the song was credited to Parsons though it was Bare singing on the record. Bare recalled to Billboard magazine: "Bill had just gotten out of the Army. He had a thing he wanted to record. So, we went down to King Studio in Cincinnati, and I played bass on his thing. We had about fifteen minutes. I said 'Let me put down this thing I've been working on.' So, I did."
  
  "That same day, they wanted to make a copy of it.," Bare continued "The guy who was paying for it went to a company there to get an acetate made. It was Fraternity Records. When they heard the two records. They asked who was singing, and the guy told him Bill Parsons – which it was on the back side of that record. So, they put it out with his name on it. It scared him to death. He didn't even know the song."
• Bobby Bare was drafted by the army just before the song's release so Bill Parsons toured with the hit, lip-synching to the record.