Timmy84 said:

Elvis had to do a lot of things he hated because of the Colonel's whims. He despised all those cornball movies. He wanted to do something serious, or without singing, or both. He'd been offered the lead in West Side Story, but the Colonel had him turn it down in favour of some of the cheesy crap he hated so much. He wasn't a bad actor, he could've done really well. But we'll never know.

Timmy84 said:

Ultimately I think that should matter most. People get so caught up in the personal lives and actions of certain singers and musicians that they can't draw a distinction between the art and the artist, which is a mistake IMO. True, the art comes from inside so in that sense it's a part of who created it, but they're not one and the same. Jailhouse Rock is not a drug habit as Billie Jean is not excessive plastic surgery as I Believe I Can Fly is not sex with young girl.

Elvis had a beautiful voice and an incredible, rare gift for music and a grasp for soul rare in anyone, and that means more to his legacy than anything he might've done offstage.

meow85 said:

True to all of that. But you know it is sad that while he's supposedly regarded for what he did (or to some, "didn't do") that all everybody talks about is his downfall. They do the same to other artists who had difficult times after reaching the top (Marvin, Ike, Jerry Lee, etc). But there's no doubt Elvis was talented.

But he's not the King of Rock & Roll.

I'm sure more than anyone wanted to know about "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", but a bit more accurate anyway.....

The famous 1969 "laughing version" was a single incident, not a pattern of "uncontrollable laughter on stage" or "often lying down on his back to sing" (neither are correct) or similar. He made a joke while singing the song, cracked himself up a bit, and was unable to continue somberly in the face of Cissy Houston's relentless soprano wailing. Whether he had a buzz that night, I dunno. But "weird drug behavior" isn't the big story with this particular event. This is during his first Vegas year and peak performance period. It's a loose late show and Elvis just lost it, in an enjoyable fashion.

Nobody "made" Elvis record the song. The song was a favorite of Parker's wife and Parker asked Elvis to give it a try. Elvis asked to have the studio lights turned off and recorded one full take in the dark studio. He expressed distress over his performance, saying he didn't think he could do justice to the song, and declined further takes. The RCA producer believed it would be a hit and the recording was released.

An article about that release says: "On the mainstream pop charts, it made the biggest one-week Top 40 jump in history, going from #35 to #2, and Presley’s fans helped keep it at #1 for six weeks. Over on the country charts, where the audience was typically seen as white, rural and conservative, it became a #22 hit. And on the rhythm & blues chart, designed to track Negro music, the white Southerner singing an antique ballad reached #3. The record also went to #1 in England, with worldwide sales estimated at four million."

(included just because I recently read that article for the first time and was surprised by the stats)

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Eileen said:

Well that to the "Memphis Mafia" and some biographers, they'll say something different but okay, cool info anyways.

Timmy84 said:

uPtoWnNY said:

And neither is any one of them. They all are kings of rock, though for differing reasons.

It's sad they don't remember the black icons the way they remember Elvis or even JOhn Lennon. From Marvin to Donny Hathaway to Bob Marley, these people died young too and in some cases were even alot younger than Elvis when they died, but at times I can barely remember the year let alone the month they died. The anniversary of their deaths tend to go unnoticed.

whatsgoingon said:

I agree with you.

uPtoWnNY said:

Maybe not to black folk, but most white folk believe him to be.

He brought rock and roll to the forefront. I realize that there were many racial issues surrounding this and many black artists doing rock and roll at the time, but it wasn't his fault that he was labelled this way or is given credit for it. It's not his fault that American is racist.

THIS IS MY MOST BEST EVLIS SONG EVA

http://www.youtube.com/wa...Mm92YJbdPU

whatsgoingon said:

It is sad that there's less notice on the anniversaries of their deaths, but let's face it. There were worldwide vigils when both Presley and Lennon left, their fanbase and influence was so wide. Gaye and Hathaway and Marley just weren't as "big" as Presley and Lennon in the first place.

But it's your own fault if you personally can't keep track of the anniversaries of their deaths. Ultimately you remember who you want to.

meow85 said:

Very well said. If people think that Marvin and Bob and others should be remembered with the same enthusiasm as Elvis and John, then they should do something about it to make it happen. Don't blame the white man because we choose to remember John and Elvis in such huge way. Personally, I feel that Marvin and Bob should be remembered every year as their contribution to music was so great and still is.