Brown was asked to write a song to replace "I'll Be Home for Christmas" as the grand finale on NBC's "Elvis", from June 20–23, 1968 (now also known as ‘68 Comeback Special). Knowing about Presley’s fondness for Martin Luther King Jr., and about his devastation related to his then-recent assassination, he wrote "If I Can Dream" with Presley in mind. After Presley heard the demo, he proclaimed "I'm never going to sing another song I don't believe in. I'm never going to make another movie I don't believe in." And he, in his nine years remaining, kept his promise.