The Elvis Craze The public made Elvis Presley larger than life, better known than Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and in some cases God Himself. I cannot quite understand the Elvis craze. I don't think he was a handsome man, I don't enjoy his music, I won't waste my time trying to sit through one of his boring, talentless movies, and if, God forbid, I end up on my deathbed with some horrible, incurable disease, I certainly won't make a pilgrimage to Graceland to be miraculously healed. Jack Gould conveyed some of my feeling in the essay TV: New Phenomenon when he wrote, "Mr. Presley has no discernible singing ability." Although he gave away cars, cash, and gifts to friends, family, and sometimes, strangers, I can't think of any of his contributions that merits his God-like status. Cults and "churches" have been formed to worship him. One such "church" named "The First Presleyterian Church of Elvis the Divine" in Colorado claims he paid them a visit, and he was as young and in shape as he was in his early years. There are websites dedicated to proving that Elvis and Jesus are one and the same. People claim to have seen Elvis alive at grocery stores and at parks. There is also a website devoted to the cloning of "The King" himself. People have just gone overboard worshipping Elvis! The same mothers and fathers who can't understand son or daughter's fascination with the Backstreet Boys are buying vials of Elvis's sweat from the Internet. It scares me to think that some if these people will soon be participating in the nationwide vote for a new president. Born January 8, 1935 to Gladys and Vernon Presley, the odds were against Elvis Aaron Presley from the moment the entered this world. The fact that he ascended from his dirt p... ... middle of paper ... ...-worshippers may think the reason I don't care for Elvis may be the times in which I grew up. I highly doubt that, as I have never put anyone on a pedestal and glorified him or her as so many have done with Elvis. When I began my research on this paper, I had no clue as to why anyone would waste a week of their life to attend "Elvis Week" and to pay homage to the great "King of Rock 'n' Roll." Or why anyone would dedicate all of his or her spare time to create and maintain a website dedicated to a man who has been dead for 20+ years. After all of my research at the library and on the internet, learning about his roots and his family, his rise to stardom, his military career, his film career, his Vegas career, and his personal life with all of its women and drugs, I still have no clue. Neither do the people who create the websites or write the books in honor of him.
... Many thought he was a phenomenon, and to some he was an icon, and an enigma to others. In 1986, he was at the height of his popularity. As Time magazine would put it, it “found America’s sweet spot.”
Elvis Presley is also known as the “King of Rock and Roll” is the most influential Rock and Roll artist of all time. “Elvis Presley life story began when Elvis Aaron Presley was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn, leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. He and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1948, and Elvis graduated from Humes High School there in 1953.” (Elvis Presley Biography)
...sley performed his music in all types of genres. Presley allowed musicians to step out of the box and be their selves. He had hit songs in gospel, rock, pop, and country. Although he lived a short life, he is still famous in some people’s eyes. I met a woman who had attended one of Elvis’s performances and she said it was the best concert she had ever been to. During the concert she said Elvis was dancing and all the girls were going crazy as always. He removed his scarf and threw it into the crowd she was the lucky one who caught it. She still has his scarf in her house, and will never forget the memories of that night. Elvis passed away on August 16, 1977 in his home from heart failure. The King still lives on in many people’s lives and his music career helped many people. Elvis Presley led the way for many musicians, and has impacted the lives of many people.
Elvis was born to Gladys and Vernon Presley, a farming family in Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. Originally Elvis Aron Presley was a twin, however, his brother Jesse died after birth (Austin 1994). A close knit family, Elvis and his family attended the Assembly of God Church where his love of music started to blossom (EPE 2014). Growing up his family had many financial struggles. Despite this, at age eleven, Elvis received his first instrument, a guitar. Shortly after, Vernon Presley struggled to hold down a job in Mississippi. He made the decisive decision to uproot the family to Memphis, Tennessee (Hirshberg 1995).
Many of us have a dream in life to be remembered by all for something great. It’s a lofty goal that only few have, or ever will achieve. Elvis Presley was one of the few people in our American history that achieved this status. Known as “The King of Rock and Roll”, his achievements have influenced our country like none of its precedents. This paper will explain Elvis Presley’s life, his death, and his profound influence after life.
Through the decades, artists such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones have raised controversy over their seemingly explicit acts that are now viewed as legendary. Parents banned their children from watching Elvis Presley and his outrageous hip movements though today these moves are copied by Britney Spears, pop groups, and dancers all over the world. In 1956, Ed Sullivan deemed Elvis "unfit for a family audience." However, in 1970 Elvis met the President in the Oval Office, and now his face appears on a postage stamp (RIAA; History 2 of 4). On June 15, 1966, The Beatles released their album Yesterday...and Today featuring a shocking cover with the foursome surrounded by raw meat and butchered baby dolls. Immediately the album was withdrawn from music shelves everywhere and returned only with a new approved c...
With his hips swiveling and legs swinging, Elvis Presley’s risque performances made teenage girls swoon as their parents would rage over the atrocity of his dancing back in the mid-50s. Today, however, he is regarded as one of the most important musicians/performers of all time. Commonly known as “The King of Rock and Roll,” Elvis Presley has tremendously influenced society as well as the music industry in both the past and present.
Elvis Presley had such a grand influence on a variety of subjects, so he should definitely be considered one of the greatest musicians of all time. His enormous amount of awards and records set him above all others. Not only that, but he also began to close the gap between two segregated sections of America, a gap that is still not completely sealed. He inspired many other influential artists, while continuing to inspire others around the world today. All of these factors considered, Elvis Presley is, and always be, an important and inspiring figure in history. He is not known as “The King” for
The history of the twentieth century would not be complete without mentioning the impeccable influence of one of the best and biggest singers of all time. But before he started making his indelible mark in the sands of time, he started out from very humble beginnings, under the care of his loving, working class parents. Elvis Aaron Presley was born January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi to Gladys and Vernon Presley. Although, Presley was supposed to be a twin, his supposed twin brother, Jesse Garon, sometimes spelled Jessie was stillborn. Elvis Aaron Presley was an incredible American Singer, Musician and Actor with inspirational quotes such as this “Fingerprints are like values; you leave them all over everything you do.”
The King of Rock “N” Roll was a tremendously talented artist. Elvis recorded over 30 motion pictures, and over 30 record albums. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and even had a postal stamp released in the United States after him. Later after his death, he was also inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame. Graceland would later become a National Historic Landmark. Presley won three Grammys as well as several other awards throughout his lifetime.
Over 40,000,000 viewers tuned in to hear his R&B meets rock and roll song with his hip thrusts and pelvis shakes and the people lost it. You were either with him or against him, the teenage girls went wild over his moves while the church and elders thought he was everything they feared of the future, sexual, wild and rebellious. In the world facing such bigger issues with the cold war going on and the rise of communism it was easy to listen to Presley’s happy-go-lucky rock music and find an escape from the harsh realities of the world. It goes along with the normalcy bias that society ignores bigger issues in light that they rather not accept the fact that it is happening and deal with
There is no argument, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley were the two biggest names of 1950s music. The men actually worked together in the “Million Dollar Quarter.” The success and his association with Phillips allowed Cash to join an elite group of artists that included Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis—they were known as "The Million Dollar Quartet." (Johnny Cash Biography, http://www.biography.com/people/johnny-cash-9240610?page=3) The two men helped redefine the music industry and are still today remembered for all they gave to the music industry.
In today’s world, thrusting your hips on national television wouldn’t be an issue for most people. We have songs that use profanity, degrade women, men, children, and even animals. If you jump back almost 70 years, moving your hips back and forth was the equivalence of this. Someone always wanted to push the boundaries and see how far they could go until someone said stop. Elvis did just that. He showed the world what a little sex, drugs, and rock and roll could do for society. But Elvis couldn’t have done this new and controversial movement alone. He needed help. He needed music and that music was the song “You Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog.” This song progressed what live entertainment meant. Parents through up their arms in a rage, and teens jumped to their feet to see every “vulgar” movement. This song left a never-ending impact on society and is still used today throughout the entertainment industry. Most people believe that the song, “You Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog,” was originated by Elvis, this is incorrect. The song went through numerous revisions in order to get to its final destination.
Another controversial but strong lyric that was written was “Elvis was hero to most but he never meant shit to me”. I believe this was said because to most of Elvis hit songs where during the 1960’s Rock N Roll era. This means that he was a hero and icon to most who lived through that era. Now, come the 1980’s and the public the same way does not look at many African American Hip Hop Artists like the group Public Enemy. They are not looked at as artist or even icons, they are simply said to be a bunch of “thugs” who are troubled and should go back to where they came from.
One of them was the cause of his death. One reported: “fourteen drugs in Elvis' system, ten in significant quantity.” There are numerous opinions on whether Presley was on drugs or not. Many claim that based on his mental condition, he must have been overtaking some kind of drugs or medicine. It doesn’t make sense that a person who is mentally unhealthy can be called the greatest star in American music culture. When a human abuses any kind of drugs, it impacts their target system. This is the part that normally responds to survival instincts and if it is affected the body will try to set in a motion to repeat the behavior of taking drugs. When drugs are abused for a long period of time, it will affect the brain’s ability to make decisions, memorizing and learning. After returning from military service, Presley had a hard time getting famous again with his music (graceland.com). Out of 11 records, there was only four that were in the top 50 rank and the highest was 28th place (graceland.com). In this time of the period, he might have abused drugs to be mentally satisfied and forget things. His abuse of drugs didn’t stop and even lead him to death. Due to such reasons, many might think that Elvis Presley doesn’t deserve the fame that he gets right now because he is an example where one ruins their life with drugs and he doesn’t deserve to be called the greatest star of American music