Way Down

"Way Down"
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Moody Blue
B-side	Pledging My Love
Released	June 6, 1977
Genre	Rock & Roll
Length	2:39
Writer(s)	Layng Martine, Jr.
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Moody Blue" (1976) "Way Down" (1977) "My Way" (1977)

For the song "Way Down" by Modest Mouse, see The Fruit That Ate Itself

"Way Down" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley. Recorded in October 1976, it was the last single released before his death on August 16, 1977. The song was written by Layng Martine, Jr. and was later covered by Status Quo and Cliffhanger.

Released as a single (with "Pledging My Love" on the B-side) on June 6, 1977, it was his current single when he died. It fell off the Hot 100's top 40 from its peak position at #31 when news of his death broke. Thereafter it reversed direction and reached an even higher peak at #18 on 24 September - 1 October 1977. It reached #1 in the American Country and British Pop charts, just days after his death, and almost seven years after his previous UK #1 single, "The Wonder of You", in 1970. His previous single, "Moody Blue", had been a #1 hit on the US Country Charts earlier in 1977. "Way Down" was reissued in April 2005 and reached #2 on the UK singles chart.

The recording also features gospel bass singing legend J.D. Sumner singing the words "Way on down" at the end of each chorus, repeating the phrase at the end of the song while hitting a double low C note (three octaves below middle C). According to the Guinness Book of World Records it is the lowest recorded note ever produced by the human voice, first accomplished by Sumner in a 1966 recording of the hymn "Blessed Assurance."

Chart performance

Chart (1977)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	18
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	14
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1
Canadian RPM Top Singles	15
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks	23
UK Singles Chart	1

See also

• List of posthumous number-one singles (UK)

Preceded by "Rollin' With the Flow" by Charlie Rich	Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single August 20, 1977	Succeeded by "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" by Crystal Gayle
	RPM Country Tracks number-one single September 10-September 17, 1977
Preceded by "Float On" by The Floaters	UK number one single September 3, 1977	Succeeded by "Silver Lady" by David Soul