Who said Elvis Presley couldn’t have a hit single? Initially, RCA executives rejected Heartbreak Hotel because it “didn’t sound like anything.” However, this record, inspired by a suicidal note, sold over 2 million copies and ignited Elvis Presley’s career.

On this day, April 21, in 1956, Heartbreak Hotel surprised RCA Records and simultaneously topped six U.S. Billboard pop and country charts at #1. Presley’s record, Heartbreak Hotel, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame 39 years later in 1995 and to this day, novels, movies, hotels, and restaurants carry its name.