“Wooden Heart” (“Muss i denn” lit. Must I then) is a song best known for its use in the 1960 Elvis Presley film G.I. Blues. The song was a hit for Presley in the United Kingdom, making number one for six weeks, but was not released as a single in the United States until November 1964 as the B-side to “Blue Christmas”. Presley performed the song live during his Dinner Show concert at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas in 1975. The recording is available on the Elvis Presley live album, Dinner At Eight.
A cover version by Joe Dowell made it to number one in the US at the end of August 1961, knocking Bobby Lewis’ “Tossin’ and Turnin'” off the number-one spot of the Billboard Hot 100 after seven weeks. Dowell’s version also spent three weeks at number one on the Easy Listening chart.
“Wooden Heart”, created by Fred Wise, Ben Weisman, Kay Twomey and German bandleader Bert Kaempfert, was based on a German folk song by Friedrich Silcher, “Muss i’ denn zum Städtele hinaus”, originating from the Rems Valley in Württemberg, Southwest Germany. “Wooden Heart” features several lines from the original folk song, written in the German Swabian dialect, spoken in Württemberg. The Elvis Presley version was published by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley’s publishing company. Bobby Vinton recorded his version in 1975 with those lines translated into Polish.
The Elvis Presley version featured two parts in German, the first one is the first four lines of “Muss i’ denn zum Städtele hinaus”, whereas the second part appears towards the end and is based on a translation of the English version (therefore not appearing in the original German folk lyrics). This part being “Sei mir gut, sei mir gut, sei mir wie du wirklich sollst, wie du wirklich sollst…” This literally means “Be good to me, Be good to me, Be to me how you really should, How you really should…”
“Wooden Heart” was covered by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1993. It was released in their 1995 Playback box set on disc six, “Nobody’s Children”.
Another Elvis song from the same session, this one a track from G.I. Blues, “The first album I ever owned,” Petty says. In 1995 Petty arranged for his family to take a private tour of Graceland, and for the Heartbreakers to record at Sun Studios. “I am the true Elvis fan. The music meant so much to me. I really have to give him credit for saving my life on so many levels. – Tom Petty, Playback box set liner notes

By Elvis Presley

Lyrics

Can’t you see I love you Please don’t break my heart in two That’s not hard to do Cause I don’t have a wooden heart And if you say goodbye Then I know that I would cry Maybe I would die Cause I don’t have a wooden heart There’s no strings upon this love of mine It was always you from the start Treat me nice Treat me good Treat me like you really should Cause I’m not made of wood And I don’t have a wooden heart

There’s no strings upon this love of mine It was always you from the start Cause I don’t have a wooden heart