Published Mar 14, 2026, 4:40 PM EDT
Tehuan Harris is a news and features journalist at Collider, reporting and writing about all things music and reality TV (sometimes). She is a talented journalist and a natural storyteller who writes with curiosity and interest. After graduating from university, she jumped straight into journalism, with one goal in mind: to tell stories that matter.
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Like many artists, Elvis Presley had classics that lived in music vaults, with "Dominick", from the 1968 movie Stay Away, Joe, being one of them. However, while it was recorded sometime in 1967, it almost did not make it onto an album. Therefore, it took years for the song to officially be released in an album capacity.
The key reason why “Dominick” was not released at the time the film premiered in the theaters was because of Presley’s disdain towards the song. Like any other artist, Presley felt strongly about the music he put out and how it could affect his image, which is one of the many reasons why Presley still has his King of Rock ‘N’ Roll crown intact, over 50 years on from his death. Despite Presley’s feelings towards the song, “Dominick” was released on a compilation album.
What Was Elvis Presley's "Dominick" About?
“Dominick” was addressed to the bull, which was also named Dominick. However, the movie Stay Away, Joe, as a whole, fell flat. The movie plot told the story of Joe Lightcloud (played by Presley), a Native American rodeo rider who returns to the family reservation, and it received a widely negative reception and was also perceived as one of Presley’s weakest performances.
Perhaps the song “Dominick” and the movie as a whole made Presley even more frustrated with his film career. Like his music career, Presley made a stunning start in his film career with his debut, Love Me Tender. He kept his music career intact, as his film appearances resulted in classic songs from the films he starred in. However, Presley grew tired of his acting career, as he wanted better roles, and his role as Joe Lightcloud in Stay Away, Joe, was not one of them.
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Then again, Presley never hated being an actor. Why he even agreed to the role in the first place was because of the agreement for him to record three of his songs for the movie. However, not even that panned out the way he had hoped. “Dominick” had him begging the producers to never release the song to the public, even after he had died, as the song itself would have tainted his image, and no one would take him seriously ever again.
Stay Away, Joe did not ruin his acting career, but it left a stain. Critics quickly slammed the movie as unfunny, flat, and tasteless for its insensitive portrayal of Native Americans. The music, including “Dominick”, was also deemed “even less memorable than usual”, according to The Monthly Film Bulletin.
Why Didn't Elvis Presley Want to Release "Dominick"?
“Dominick” was recorded shortly before he announced his comeback to music. Although he was still releasing music, it had been a while since his music saw the top ten on the Billboard charts. His comeback marked a different attitude, as he wanted to be more serious, and “Dominick” would have hindered this.
“Dominick” was directed to the bull in Stay Away Joe, meaning that Presley was supposed to “serenade” the bull. Presley viewed him singing to the bull as degrading and therefore refused to perform in the scene. To counteract this, he sings the song to two women in the movie, with no bull present in the scene. However, that does not diminish the negative feelings he has about the track.
The song also almost did not exist as a recording. Around the time the song was due to be recorded, he vented to RCA’s vice president at the time, Harry Jenkins, about the song and said, “God, Harry, I don’t want to record this.” He also made producer Felton Jarvis promise to never release the song and said, “Promise me they won’t put this out.”
Elvis Presley's "Dominick" Was Released
Image via Sunset Boulevard/CorbisAfter Stay Away, Joe was released, fans waited for the soundtrack that normally accompanied Presley’s movies, which included his songs, but it never came. In some ways, Presley got what he desired with "Dominick", as a soundtrack, including the song, was never released. In fact, it stayed locked away in the vault, as he made producer Jarvis promise to do, but only until 1982.
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1982 saw the release of “Dominick” as part of Presley’s bootleg compilation, Elvis’ Greatest Sh*t, but it was an unauthorized release. The song was also released as a CD for the first time as part of Presley’s 1994 compilation album, Kissin' Cousins/Clambake/Stay Away, Joe, and “Dominick” was included. This was released years after both Presley and Jarvis had passed, leaving another mark on his everlasting legacy.
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