Separate Ways (Elvis Presley song)
original song written and composed by Richard Mainegra, Red West; first recorded by Elvis Presley
"Separate Ways" is a 1972 song by Elvis Presley written by Red West and Richard Mainegra. Elvis Presley recorded the song on March 27, 1972, and released it as a single with "Always On My Mind" as the B-side. It reached gold status in the US for sales of over half a million copies. It was listed as a double-sided hit reaching No. 16 on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart in November 1972. In the UK "Always On My Mind" was the hit song and "Separate Ways" was the B-side.
Song information
Richard Mainegra had the following to say about the song. "It's a big understatement to say getting an Elvis cut was the highlight of my career. At the time, I was only 22 and right out of Slidell into the music business. I was very excited to be doing what I'd always wanted to do.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Separate Ways (Elvis Presley song)” as original song written and composed by Richard Mainegra, Red West; first recorded by Elvis Presley. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as original song written and composed by Richard Mainegra, Red West; first recorded by Elvis Presley. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 27, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q7451785. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1972.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Separate Ways (Elvis Presley song)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.