Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter In a Romantic Duet of “Suspicious Minds”

Country music legend Waylon Jennings took an eager crowd by storm when a southern beauty suddenly joined him onstage for a special performance of Elvis Presley’s hit “Suspicious Minds.” 

Performing for a jam-packed venue, Jennings stood before a makeshift saloon when the doors swiftly opened, and a country icon made her way to Jennings. It’s none other than his wife, Jessi Colter.

“We’re caught in a trap. I can’t walk out because I love you too much, baby,” Jennings sings. “Why can’t you see what you’re doing to me when you don’t believe a word I say?” Colter answers.

There’s no doubt about it, Jennings and Colter were madly in love. This was so evident every time they shared the stage. The talented couple exchanged heartwarming smiles and playful emotions, and the audience can’t help but erupt into striking applause. 

Jennings and Colter first recorded “Suspicious Minds” in 1970 – just a year after they were married – and it peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard country chart of that year. The couple’s version was released once again six years later off the ground-breaking album Wanted! The Outlaws, peaking at No. 2. Their version was then nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

The Song That Revived Elvis Presley’s Career

Written by Mark James, “Suspicious Minds” is about a dysfunctional relationship and various feelings of distrust within it – of loving someone so much only to feel being trapped because of suspicions. The couple then needed to move on in order to survive.

James once said that late one night, while he was fooling around on his Fender guitar and using his Hammond organ pedals for a bass line, he came up with what he thought was a catchy melody. 

During that time, James was still married to his first wife but revealed that he still had feelings for his childhood sweetheart, who has since been married too. His wife is starting to get suspicious of his feelings for the other woman, and James felt it was a tricky time as all three were “caught in this trap that they could not walk out of.” 

In 1968, James recorded and released his own version; however, it did not go anywhere. A year later, “Suspicious Minds” was cut by Elvis Presley, and it became one of the most memorable hits of Presley’s career. It was one of the singles that revived Presley’s chart success in the U.S., reaching No. 1 seven years since his last No. 1 hit. The song was Presley’s last No.1 single in the United States before he died in 1977.

Ever since then, the song has been covered by various artists and was used as a soundtrack to different films. But today, get to enjoy Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter’s breathtaking performance of “Suspicious Minds.” Their love for each other is absolutely contagious that we couldn’t help but smile all through the entire performance.

See it for yourself in the video below.