Referat Elvis Presley

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ENGLISH CERTIFICATION PAPER JUST ELVIS TABLE OF CONTESTS 1. Summary page 3 2. Introduction page 5 3. Until 18 page 6 4. The Beginning page 7 5. Managed By Tom Parker page 8 6. The Movie Career page 10 7. The Army page11 8. Meeting Priscilla page 11 9. Returning Home page 12 10. Priscilla page 13 11. Las Vegas page 15 12. The Decline page 16 13. Conclusion page 16 14. Films page 17 15. Bibliography page 18 SUMMARY Elvis Aaron Presley ( 1935-1977) was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, about 150 kilometers from Memphis, Tennessee. He was introduced to music by his parents, who sang Gospel in the local church. In 1948, his family moved to Memphis, where he finished his studies and began work as a truck driver for the Crown Electric Industry. In the spring of 1953, he decided to make a record ( for a fee) at the Memphis Recording Service, owned by Sam Phillips, the head of Sun Records. He recorded two songs: “ My Happiness”, by the Ink Spots, and “ That’s When Your Heartaches Begin”. A year later, he cut two more: “ Casual Love Affair” and “ I’ll Never Stand In Your Way”. Phillips teamed him up with two veteran musicians, Scotty Moore and Bill Black, with whom he rehearsed over the weekend. These sessions produced, in July of 1964, “ That’s All Right Mama” and “ Blue Moon Of Kentucky”, enormously successful versions of legendary American classics. On September 25, a second single came out: “ I Don’t Care If The Sun Don’t Shine” and “ Good Rockin’ Tonight”. He appeared in over 200 concerts between 1954 and 1955 and, at a performance on April 16, he met Colonel Parker, the figure that would do the most to create the “ Presley legend”. Elvis made the Billboard charts 11 times in 1956 ( a record only he himself would break, in 1957), with “ I Was The One”, “ Blue Suede Shoes” and “ Don’t Be Cruel”, among others. The Presley sound gradually took on more folk-like aspects with “ Love Me Tender”. In 1957, Elvis made his acting debut in two films, “ Loving You” and “ Jailhouse Rock”, both very successful at the box office. On March 24, Elvis began his military service in Arkansas. He was transferred to Texas a few months later, where he stayed until September 22, when he boarded the USS Randall en route to Bremerhaven, Germany. It was during this period that he first met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, whom he later married in 1967. Back in America, the Colonel kept his absent star’s reputation intact via a series of films, record releases and extensive merchandising. Hits such as “ Wear My Ring Around Your Neck”, “ Hard Headed Woman”, “ One Night”,” I Got Stung”, “ A Fool Such As I” and “ A Big Hunk O’Love” filled the long, two year gap. He returned home and received his official welcome with an appearance on the Frank Sinatra show. He also continued to star in a variety of movies, such as “ GI Blues” ( 1960), a light comedy; “ Flaming Star” ( 1960 ), a western; and “ Wild In The Country” ( 1961), the most demanding. But it was “ Blue Hawaii” ( 1961 ) that discovered the formula that would be used in his later films, all shot in well known tourist locations: “ fight for your future, win the girl and live happily ever after”. Presley began to fill trapped in his own myth, becoming a virtual recluse, surrounded by an impenetrable court of relatives, friends and assorted shady characters who wouldn’t allow him to lead a normal life. His divorce from his wife Priscilla in 1973 marked the beginning of the end. Alcohol and drug abuse took over and lead to frequent bouts of depression. Overeating and drinking made him so heavy that he had to resort to exhausting weight loss treatments. These made his condition even worse, and on several occasions he needed to be hospitalized. Deciding to take a rest from performing, he returned to Graceland, his home in Memphis. But at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon on August 16, he was taken to the emergency room of Baptist Memorial Hospital, where, at 3:30 pm, the doctors declared him dead due to cardiac arrhythmia. INTRODUCTION The man is a bizarre combination between the deficiency of sensibility and sentimentalism. He is the summit of selfishness. He is terribly suspicious, but extremely credulous. His conception about the world is of an idealist and the honesty he is looking for starts from this conception. His image about the world is pretty narrow, rigid, dogmatic, eccentric. He is a sympathetic dictator. When he is in the mood, he is in the mood for everything. He has the tendency to grow angry when talking about the way he is treated by the world. He is bent on firing and hiring people again and again and on having disorganized relations with the persons that work for him. He wants to be sure that the ones who he cares about have all they need. He can be very kind. He is very possessive when threatened. He can be used and he fears that, so he changes very quickly his state of mind: well wisher today, melancholic tomorrow. He is very shy, so he needs people around. When criticized, he reacts violently. He believes in perfection and he is his own rough critic. He is very attentive at women’s physical aspect. He can overwhelm women with his charm. He doesn’t like to know an injustice is made, but is interested in justice only from his point of view. Otherwise, he is indifferent. Especially concerning politics. During his career, he sold over 300,000 records and over a million up to this moment. It’s estimated that over 48% of the disk sales were over the US borders. He obtained gold, platinum and multi platinum records. He had 149 songs in Billboard’s Top 100 Chart in America.: 114 in Top 40, 40 in Top 10 and 18 hitted number 1. These 18 stayed on the first position for 80 weeks. Although, he had 90 albums in charts. He sustained only 5 concerts outside America. His figure became worship, his house a museum. FRANK SINATRA, 1977: “ Many things were said about Elvis’s performances and talent, and I agree. As a friend, I will miss him. He was a generous person.” ALL GREEN: “ The style Elvis approached to music had influenced the whole world. He broke the ice for us.” BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: “ Many tough guys existed in the music industry. They were claimants. And rivals. Definitely, Elvis will remain a star.” MICK JAGGER: “ He was an unique artist- an original between imitators.” JOHN LENNON: “ Before Elvis, there was nothing.” JAMES BROWN “ I was not only his fan, I was like his brother. He used to say I’m the best, but I thought the contrary. Elvis worked very hard, dedicated himself to his work, and that’s why God loved him. The last time I saw him was at Graceland, where we sang together “ Old Blind Barnabus”, a gospel song. I love him and I wish to see him in Heaven again.” ROD STEWART “ Elvis was The King of the Kings. Doubtless. Guys like me, Mick Jagger and others are only imitators.” ELTON JOHN “ Because of Elvis I became interested in music. I’m an Elvis fan since I was a kid.” UNTIL 18 In the old side of Tupelo, Mississippi, lived a farmer, Vernon E. Presley and an adolescent, Gladys Smith, worker at a manufacture factory. Gladys’s parents were farmers too. She had a big family: 5 sisters and 3 brothers. Mr. Presley had one brother and 3 sisters. When they started dating, they used to go skating or having picnics. In 1933, Vernon was 17 and Gladys 21, 4 years older than Vernon. On January 8,1935, Gladys gave birth to Elvis Aaron Presley and Jessie Garon Presley. Jessie died 6 hours after birth. Elvis’s first significant step towards a musical career took place at the age of 8 when he won $5 in a local song contest performing the lachrymose Red Folley ballad “ Old Sheep”. At the age of 10 he took part in a contest for amateurs at the Mississippi Alabama Fair and Daily show, singing again “Old Sheep”. He won second prize. His earliest musical influence came from attending the Pentecostal Church and listening to the psalms and gospel songs. With his first guitar, an 11 years birthday present, he began strumming country music and a little blues. He had a strong grounding in country and blues and it was the combination of these different styles that was to provide his unique musical identity. At the age of 13, Presley moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee, looking for a better living. They stayed in a social dwelling in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Memphis. The income of the family was of $35 a week. It was very hard, so they soon moved into an apartment on Winchester Street 185, where they stayed 3 years and half. Elvis studied at L.C. Humes High school, a 1600 students high school. He was unnoticed, even from the musical point of view. During his later school years, he began cultivating an outsider image, with long hair, spidery sideburns and ostentatious clothes: he used to wear pink trousers with black jacket, or black trousers with pink jacket. He ventured singing to his friends drumming at his guitar the few chords he knew, but became shy when singing in front of an auditory. He overcame his fear only when his history teacher introduced him in the school show. His melancholy song used to attract like a magnet. As he grew up, he was introduced by country and western singers, and by black musicians, imitating their hair style and dress. In November 1950, he took a job at the Low Theatre. He used to work every evening from 5 to 10 for $12,75 a week. His next job was at the Marl Metal Products Company, where he worked full time, from 3pm to 11pm. Sometime, he went to mow grass to have money for small pleasures – tickets for cinema or circus. He learned singing by ear. He liked dating a lot of girls. On Friday or Saturday nights, when he had no date, he used to go to the cinema with the boys. His idols were Tony Curtis, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Karl Malden or Rod Steiger. In high school, Elvis wasn’t considered the most popular, the most talented, the most attractive, the best or the one who was to succeed the fastest. He wasn’t “ the most” at anything. At June 3,1953, he graduated high school and started looking for a job. THE BEGINNING In the summer of 1953, Elvis got a truck driver’s job at the Crown Electricity Company, earning $1,25 an hour, a role in keeping with his unconventional appearance. In spite of his rebel posturing, Presley remained seriously polite to his elders and was devoted to his mother. Indeed, it was his filial affection that first prompted him to visit Sun Records, whose studios offered the sophisticated equivalent of a fairground recording booth service. As a birthday present for his mother, Presley cut a version of the Ink Spots “My Happiness”, backed with the Raskin/Brown/Fisher standard “ That’s When Your Heartaches Begin”. The studio manager, Marion Keisher, noted Presley’s unusual but distinctive vocal style and informed Sun’s owner/ producer Sam Phillips of his potential. Phillips, that was looking for a white boy capable of interpreting in the south-American style nurtured the boy for almost a year before putting him together with country guitarist Scotty Moore and bass player Bill Black. Their early sessions showed considerable promise, especially when Presley began alternating his unorthodox low-key delivery with a high-pitched whine. The amplified guitars of Scotty Moore and Black contributed strongly to the effect and convinced Phillips that the singer was startlingly original. In Presley, Phillips saw something that he had long dreamed and spoken of discovering: the white boy who sang like a black one. the disk, naming Presley: “ a vigorous new singer that can smash the country music market, or the rhythm and blues one”. The success was encouraging, but nothing exceptional. For his second single, Presley recorded Ray Brown’s “Good Rockin’ Tonight” baked by the zingy “ I Don’t Care If The Sun Don’t Shine”. “Baby Lets Play House”/”I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone” continued the momentum and led to Presley performing on The Grand Old Opry and Louisiana Hayride radio program. Even though the reception he got wasn’t particularly enthusiastic, he began to sing regularly in public and increased his popularity in the Southern States. A series of live dates commenced in 1955 with drummer DJ Fontana added to the ranks. Presley toured clubs in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas billed as “The King Of western Bop” and “ The Hillbilly Cat”. Audience reaction verged on the fanatical, which was hardly surprising given Presley’s semi-erotic performances. His hip-swiveling routine, in which he cascaded across the stage and plunged to his knees at dramatic moments in a song, was remarkable for the period and prompted near-riotous fan mania. MANAGED BY TOM PARKER The final Sun single, a cover version of Junior Parker’s “ Mystery Train”, was later acclaimed by many as the definitive rock’ n ’roll single, with its cheegging rhythm, soaring vocal and enticing lead guitar breaks. It established Presley as an artist worthy of national attention and ushered in the next phase of his career, which was dominated by the imposing figure of Colonel Tom Parker. The Colonel, an illegal Dutch immigrant, (circar de profesie), show animator and manager, was Elvis’s agent starting from 1955, and benefited by half of the fabulous income of the musician. In 1955, Parker was almost a legend: he was a former fairground huckster who managed several country artists including Hank Snow and Eddy Arnold. After relieving disk jockey Bob Neal of Presley’s manager ship, Parker persuaded Sam Phillips that his financial interests would be better served by releasing the boy to a major label. The director of Atlantic Recording, specialized in rhythm and blues and jazz, offered $25,000. RCA Records had noted the commercial potential of the phenomenon under offer and agreed to pay Sun records a release fee of $35,000, an incredible sum for the period. The attendant rock’ n ’roll explosion, in which Presley was both a creator and participant, ensured that he could reach a mass audience, many of them newly affluent teenagers. At August 5,1955, Elvis signed the exclusivity contract with Tom Parker. At November 20, he signed the contract with RCA Victor. Elvis was thinking a lot of the entertainment. He never rehearsed. He was 19 and he liked to ride his motorbike looking for something spicy. At that time he had three songs in the country chart: “Mystery Train”, “ Baby, Let’s Play House”,” I Forgot To Remember To Forget”. When RCA recorded the 5 Sun records, Elvis found himself in the unique situation of having 2 companies that were selling the same product. It was on January 10,1956, a mere two days after his 21st birthday, that Presley entered RCA’s studios in Nashville to record his first tracks for a major label. His debut session produced the epochal “ Heartbreak Hotel”, one of the most striking pop records ever released. Co-composed by Hoyt Axton’s mother, Mae, the song evoked less than a vision of absolute funeral despair. There was nothing in the top charts of the period that even hinted at the degree of desolation described in the song. Presley’s reading was extraordinarily mature and moving, with a determined avoidance of any histrionics in favor of a pained and resigned acceptance of loneliness and death. The economical yet acutely emphatic piano work of Floyd Cramer enhanced the stark mood of the piece, which was frozen in a suitably minimalist production. The startling originality and intensity of “ Heartbreak Hotel” entranced the American public and pushed the single to number 1 for an astonishing 8 weeks. Whatever else he achieved, Presley was already assured a place in a pop history for one of the greatest major label debut records ever released. During the same month that “ Heartbreak Hotel” was recorded, Presley made his national television debut displaying his sexually enticing gyrations before a bewildered adult audience. . Since hitting number 2 in the UK hits lists with “ Heartbreak Hotel”, Presley had been virtually guaranteed European success and his profile had increased via a regular series of releases as RCA took full advantage of their bulging back catalogue. Although there was a danger of overkill, Presley’s talent, reputation and immensely strong fan base vindicated the intense release schedule and the quality of the material ensured that the public was not disappointed. After hitting number 1 for the second time with the slight ballad “ I Want You, I Need You, I Love You”, Presley realized what was to become the most commercially successful double-sided single in pop history,” Hound Dog”/” Don’t Be Cruel”. The former was composed by immortal rock’ n ’roll songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller and presented Presley at his upbeat best with a novel lyric, completed with a striking guitar solo and spirited hand clapping from his backing group, Jordanaires. Otis Blackwell’s “ Don’t Be Cruel” was equally effective with a striking melody line and some clever and amusing vocal gymnastics from the hiccupping King Of Western Bop, who also received a co-writing credit. The single remained at number 1 in the USA for a staggering 11 weeks and both sides of the record were massive hits in the UK. Elvis made the Billboard 11 times in 1956 ( a record only he himself break, in 1957). THE MOVIE CAREER In April 1956, Presley went to Hollywood to the Paramount Studious. Tom Parker wanted him in cinematography too. The film producer Hal Wallis offered the Colonel a contract for 3 movies. Elvis was to gain $100,000 for his services, and the sum was to grow to $150,000 for the second film and $300,000 for the third. 2 LP’s and a splendid Christmas album followed. Meanwhile, Colonel Parker was taking full advantage of the singer’s popularity, organizing a sales organization that would make enormous profits by selling wallets, t-shirts, belts, lipstick and all kinds of other gadgets and souvenirs. “ Time” as well as “ Newsweek” greeted Elvis in praise articles, pretty vacillating, though. “ Time” named Presley the “ adolescent’s hero”, appreciating him to have a rich voice, sexy moves…but a bad spelling. And it was true. The teenagers were driven mad when seeing Elvis. For a recreation, Presley used to go to the amusement park. Because of his popularity, he couldn’t go at regular hours, but he used to rent the park after its closing. Elvis started work on his first movie, “ Love Me Tender” in August,1956. The film was initially entitled “ The Reno Brothers” and had no song included. In the end, 4 songs were introduced. The premiere took place at November 16. In 3 weeks, the million dollars spent was retrieved. “ Love Me Tender” represents the beginning of a series of 31 movies shot in 13 years. Even if most of the scripts were conceived to highlight Elvis’s talent and personality, they had an enormous success contributing to the launching of a number of songs:” So Glad You’re Mine”, “How’s The World Treating You”, “Ready Teddy”. In a few weeks, the album was hitting number 1. “ Loving You”, his second film, boasted a quasi-autobiographical script with Presley playing a truck driver who becomes a pop star. At January 4, 1957, 4 days before reaching the age of 22, Elvis presented at the Kennedy Veterans Hospital from Memphis for the medical examination needed for the enrolment. He was to begin the instruction at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. In the first day of May he began filming “ Jailhouse Rock”, his third film, considered by many specialists the best from his entire career. The Leiber and Stoller title track was an instant classic that again topped the US charts for 7 weeks and made pop history by entering the UK lists at number 1. When he finished the movie, in March 1957, Elvis bought the Graceland domain ( $100,000), situated a few miles from the Mississippi state boundary. It had 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. 23 rooms totally. In front of the house were statues of Elvis playing his guitar. The fourth celluloid outing, “ King Creole”, adapted from the Harold Robbins novel, “ A Stone From Danny Fisher”, is regarded by many as Presley’s finest film indicator of his sadly unfulfilled potential as a serious actor. Once more the soundtrack album featured some surprisingly strong material such as the haunting “ Crawfish” and the vibrant “ DixielandRock”. THE ARMY By the time “ King Creole” was released in 1958, Elvis had been inducted into the US forces. It was asserted that the end of Elvis as a pop king came. The critics said “ Elvis is dead”. New songs appeared:” Bye, Bye Elvis”, “ All American Boy” or “ Marchin’ Elvis”. Although rock’ n ’roll purists mourned the passing of the old Elvis, it seemed inevitable in the context of the 50’s that he would move towards a broader base appeal and tone down his rebellious image. Adults started to like Presley because it was planned to cut his hair and to dress like a civilized person. On Friday, March 28, Elvis was transferred to Texas. In September, Elvis and other 1400 soldiers were send to Germany. The whole world looked at Presley with other eyes now. He was allowed to live outside the unity, so the army was accused of favoritism. Soon, Elvis’s father and grandmother came to Germany and bought a house. The press was informed that Elvis was to work in the next 16 months in Germany, as a scout jeep driver. For Presley, the day was starting early in the morning. He woke up at 5 to reach the unit on time, being back home only at 5pm. The days were, in general, very boring. Only the male could make them special(10,000 letters a week). To answer a part of these letters, Elvis hired some secretaries. At June 1, he was promoted 4th grade specialist, which meant that he got $135,30a week. At the end of February, Elvis had no songs in Billboards Hot 100, and that was for the first time in 3 years. He had been away from the music scene and from the recording studios for 2 years, but his record company issued previously recorded material, keeping his image alive. MEETING PRISCILLA During the years, Elvis’s name was tied up with about 100 girls, some of them famous, some less famous, but many of them actresses. Publicity was made to every affair. From time to time, Priscilla Beaulieu was mentioned. The Beaulieu family moved from Air Base Bergstrom, Austin, Texas to Wiesbaden, Federal Germany. Considering Presley a hansom and sexy guy, with a melancholic and deep look, Priscilla liked him, but she was not a fanatic. One evening, when she was in “ Eagles Club”, she was asked by Curry Grant, one of Elvis’s friends if she wanted to meet the Rock’ n ’Roll Star. She was only 14 ( 9th grade), but she accepted. On the first date, although impressed, Priscilla felt intimidated by an almost naked, natural size Brigitte Bardot poster. Elvis liked the brunette with blue eyes, and Priscilla was short, feeble, with long and chestnut hair and blue eyes. They dated only 4 months because Presley returned to US. There was nothing special: they used to go to the cinema or they drove the Presley-Wagen (Elvis’s BMW in German). At that time in his life existed another girl, even if she was living in the Presley house. She was a young governess, “ adopted” by Elvis after seeing the way she was beaten by her father. While Elvis was in the army, no one proved to be better than him. His patriotism attracted another kind of public, so not only the teenagers admired him. His army behavior was faultless, so he was praised by everybody. One day before leaving Germany, a monstrous press conference was organized. RETURNING HOME The return to the musical and cinematographical career was marked by a popularity diminution in the 60’s, because of the appearance on the international scene of the Beatles and of other talents from Great Britain. Elvis returned home and received his official welcome with an appearance on the Frank Sinatra show. He had beaten another record, being payed with $125,000 for a 6 minutes appearance. Even if nervous, Presley was polite as usual, addressing him only with “ Mr. Sinatra”. Elvis compelled recognition with singing in smoking and not moving too much on the scene. The change was immediately evident on the series of number 1 hits that he enjoyed in the early 60’s. The enormously successful “ It’s Now Or Never”, based on the Italian melody “ O Sole Mio”, revealed the King as an operatic crooner, far removed from his earlier raucous recordings “ Are You Lonesome Tonight?”, originally recorded by Al Jolson as early in 1927, allowed Presley to quote some Shakespeare in the spoken –word middle section as well as showing his ham acting ability with an over rough vocal. Of course, versions came out: “ Who’s Lonesome Tonight?”,” Oh, How I Miss You Tonight” or “ Yes, I’m Lonesome Tonight”. Many up-held that Elvis was to quit rock ’n’ roll. No one confirmed or contradicted. A long period without concerts followed. The new clean-cut Presley was presented on celluloid “ G.I. Blues”. The movie played upon his recent army exploits and saw him serenading a puppet on the chart-topper “ Wooden Heart”, which also allowed Elvis to show off his knowledge of German. The grandiose “ Surrender” completed this phase of big ballads in the old-fashioned style. “ G.I. Blues” achieved an income of $4,3million only in USA and Canada. In the meantime, Presley started filming “ Flaming Star”, a western. His last film at 20’th Century Fox was “ Wild In The Country”(1961), the most demanding. But it was “ Blue Hawaii” (1961) that discovered the formula that would be used in his later films, all shot in well known tourist’s locations:” fight for your future, win the girl and live happily ever after”. Elvis’s last live appearances (February 25 and March25, 1961) were in Memphis and in Hawaii: two benefit performances to raise money for the USS Arizona, sunk during the attack at Pearl Harbor. This explains the extraordinary success of his films, since for many years they would be the only way to see him sing. Billboard classified “ It’s Now Or Never” as the best single of the year. The National Academy of Art and Recordings Science proposed Elvis 5 times for the Grammy award- 3 times for “ Are You Lonesome Tonight” and 2 times for “ G.I. Blues”. PRISCILLA When Presley left Germany, he promised Priscilla he would call her as soon as he arrived to USA. But he did it 21 days after. The first time he asked Priscilla to come to America was in 1962, in her summer holiday. She stayed 2 weeks in Las Vegas, living with George and Shirley Barris, Elvis’s friends. Priscilla became his doll, a doll dressed only by his tastes: he bought her dresses, he made her make-up and had her hair done (“ I like the heavy make-up. It capitalizes the features”). When Priscilla arrived back home, her parents were very disappointed by her new look, but still allowed her to return to America for Christmas. While Elvis was filming “ Fun In Acapulco”, Vernon registrated Priscilla at one of the girl high schools from Memphis. Now her home was America. For Elvis, the ideal woman was sensitive, loving, understanding, ready to fulfill any unexpected wishes, wishes that a regular woman would have rejected, beautiful and with humor. Priscilla was the best chose. The exceptional career of the King had lost its brilliance. From 1965, Elvis was seen by his fans only in movies. The last time he appeared on television was in 1960, at the Frank Sinatra show, and the last concert was in the spring of 1961. The record sale shown that Presley’s popularity was decreasing. The disks were no longer hitting the Top 10 and none of them was declared the disk of the year from the spring of 1962. Elvis thought his loss of popularity was the consequence of the dozen films; he hated their common subjects and the speed they were filmed with. Elvis was disappointed by the music he sang, too. Even if he never took a special lesson, he had an exceptional musical sense and he loved almost every music type: religious, opera, rhythm and blues, country and rock. He was not interested in jazz. Elvis was now a married millionaire with a flawless politeness. His wife was expecting a child. He remained at Graceland till the end of January 1968. On February 1, at 8am, Elvis and Priscilla got into a blue Cadillac and drove to the Baptist Memorial Hospital. In half hour, Priscilla was hospitalized. Eight hours later, at 5,01pm, she gave birth to a 6 pounds girl. They called her Lisa Marie. Priscilla remained in the hospital two more days. At Graceland, thousands of greetings were arriving. In the wake of the Beatles’s rise to fame and the beat boom explosion, Presley seemed a figure out of time. Nevertheless, in spite of the dated nature of many of his recordings, he could still invest power and emotion into classic songs. The sassy “ Frankie and Johnny” was expertly sung by Presley as was his moving reading of Ketty Lester’s “ Love Letters”. His other significant 1966 release, “ If Everybody Was Like Christmas”, was a beautiful festive song unlike everything else in the charts of the period. By 1967, however, it was clear to critics and even to a clear proportion of his devoted following that Presley had seriously lost his way. He continued to grind out pointless movies like “ Double, Trouble”, “ Speedway”, “ Clambake” or “ Live A Little, Love A Little”, even though the box-office returns were increasingly poor. His capacity to register instant hits, irrespective of the material was also wearing thin, as such lowly placed singles as “ You Gotta Stop” and “ Long Legged Woman” demonstrated all alarmingly. However, just as Presley’s career had reached its all-time nadir he seemed to wake up, take stock, and brake free from the artistic malaise in which he found himself. Two songs written by the country guitarist Jerry Reed “ Guitar Man” and “ US Male”, proved a spectacular return to form for Elvis in 1968, such as Presley’s conviction that the compositions almost seemed to be written specifically for him. During the same year, Colonel Tom Parker had approached NBC television about the possibility of recording a Presley Christmas special in which the singer would perform a selection of religious songs similar in feel to his early 60’s album “ His Hand In Mine”. However, the executive producers of the show vetoed that concept in favor of a one-hour spectacular designed to capture Elvis at his rock’ n ’rollin best. It was a remarkable challenge for the singer, seemingly in the Autumn of his career, and he responded to the idea with unexpected enthusiasm. The Elvis special was broadcast in America on December 3,1968, and has since become the most celebrated moments in pop broadcasting history. The show was not merely good but an absolute revelation, with the King emerging as if he had been frozen in time for 10 years. His determination to recapture past glories oozed from every movement and it was discernible in every aside with his leather jacket and acoustic guitar strung casually round his neck, he resemble nothing less than the consummate pop idol of the 50’s who had entranced a generation. To add authenticity to the proceedings, he was accompanied by his old sidekicks Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana. There was no sense of self-parody in the show as Presley joked about his famous surly curled-lip movement and even heaped passing ridicule on his endless stream of bad movies. The music concentrated heavily on his 50’s classics , but, significantly, there was a startling finale courtesy of the passionate “ If I Can Dream” in which he seemed to sum up the frustration of a decade in a few short lines. The critical plaudits heaped upon Elvis in the wake of his television special prompted the singer to undertake his most significant recordings in years. LAS VEGAS The Colonel concluded a deal with the International, a 30 levels building, that was to become the highest and the biggest hotel in Las Vegas (1519 rooms). When the Colonel was negotiating, the building was not yet ready. It coasted $60 million and it was 346 feet high, being the biggest construction in Nevada. They promised Elvis $100,000 for each concert plus a percentage of the tickets sale. Everyone agreed that the only person who could make Vegas a success in a record time was Presley. On July 31,1969, he played the International Hotel to great public and critical acclaim. This was the first of a series of 57 performances in the 1970s that brought him back to his public. Three excellent singles, “In The Getto”, “Suspicious Minds” and “ Don’t Cry Daddy”, made the charts between July and December. Thanks to these new successes, Elvis began an intense and frenetic series of live appearance (over 1000 concerts in 5 years). “ In The Getto” hit number 2 in the UK and number 3 in the USA. The glorious “ Suspicious Minds”, a wonderful song of marital jealousy , with cascading tempo changes and an exceptional vocal arrangement, gave him his first US chart-topper since “ Good Luck Charm” back in 1962. “ Don’t Cry Daddy” dealt with the death of marriage. In Vegas Elvis obtained the audience record: 207,494 persons in 6 concerts. At the end of the year, he began his tour, after 13 years. In 1969’s “ Charro”, he grew beard for the first time in his portrayal of a moody cowboy, while “ A Change Of Habit” dealt with a more serious subject matter than usual. More importantly, Presley returned as a live performer at Las Vegas, with a strong backing group including guitarist James Burton and pianist Glen D. Hardin. In common with John Lennon, who also returned to the stage that same year with the Plastic Ono Band, Presley opened his set with Carl Perkins’s “ Blue Suede Shoes”. His come back was well received and one of the live songs “ The Wonder Of You”, stayed at number 1 in Britain for 6 weeks during the summer of 1970. There was also a reveling documentary film of the tour:” That’s The way It Is” and a companion album that included contemporary cover version, such as Tony Joe White’s “ Polk Salad Annie”, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “ Proud Mary”, and Neil Diamond’s “ Sweet Caroline”. During the early 70 ‘s Presley continued his live performances, but soon fell victim to the same artistic atrophy that had bedeviled his celluloid career. Rather than re-entering the studio to record fresh material he relied on a few patchy live albums that saturated the market place. The concert “ Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii” from January 14, 1973, was broadcasted world wide via satellite to an audience of a billion viewers. An historic album was made of this concert: the first quadraphonic album to sell more than a million copies. The enormous number of releases during this period obviously came from live recordings. THE DECLINE Presley began to feel trapped in his own myth, becoming a virtual recluse, surrounded by an impenetrable court of relatives, friends and assorted shady characters who wouldn’t allow him to lead a normal life. His divorce from Priscilla in 1973 marked the beginning of the end. Alcohol and drug abuse took over and lead to frequent depressions. Overeating and drinking made him so heavy that he had to resort to exhausting weight loss treatments. These made his condition even worse and on several occasions he needed to be hospitalized. On February12,1977, even with his precarious physical condition, he began a new tour which ended on June 26 at the Marked Square Arena in Indianapolis. The TV special “ Elvis in concert” would be taken from this last tour programmed to air on CBS on October 3. Decided to take a rest from performing, he returned to Graceland, his home in Memphis. But at about 3o’clock in the afternoon on August 16, he was taken to emergency room of Baptist Memorial Hospital, where, at 3:30 pm the doctors declared him dead due to cardiac arrythmia. In the weeks following his demise, his record sales predictably rocketed and “ Way Down” proved a fittingly final UK number 1 CONCLUSION The importance of Presley in the history if rock’ n ‘roll and popular music remains incalculable. In spite of his iconographical status, the Elvis image was never captured in a single moment of time like that of Bill Haley, Buddy Holly or even Chuck Berry. In spite of his apparent creative inertia, he was not a one-dimentional artist clinging to history but a multi-faceted performer whose career spanned several decades and phases. For purists and rockabilly enthusiasts it is the early Presley that remains of greatest importance and there is no doubting that his personal fusion of black and white musical influences, incorporating R&B and country. Beyond “ The Hillbilly Cat”, however, there was the face that launched a thousand imitators, that black-haired, smiling or smoldering presence who stared from the front covers of EP’s, albums and film posters of the late 50s and 60s. It was that well-groomed, immaculate pop star who inspired a generation of performers and second rate imitators in the 60’s. There was also Elvis, the Las Vegas performer, vibrant and vulgar, yet still distant and increasingly appealing to later generations brought up on the excess of 70’s rock and glam emphera. Finally, there was the bloated Presley who bestrod the stage in the last months of his career. For many, he has come to symbolize the decadence and loss of dignity that is all too often heir to pop idolatry. It is no wonder that Presley’s remarkable career so sharply devides those who testify to his ultimate greatness and those who bemoan the gifts that he seemingly squandered along the way. 20 years after Presley’s death, in August 1997, there was no waning of his power and appeal. Television, radio, newspapers and magazines all over the world still found that, whatever was happening elsewhere, little could compare to his anniversary. Almost 5 years later, a remix of the 1968 single “ A Little Less Conversation” by Dutch DJ Junkie XL provided Presley with his eighteenth UK chart topper. In doing so, he nudged ahead of the Beatles to claim the record number of UK number 1 singles. FILMS “ LOVE ME TENDER”, November 1956, Twentieth Century Fox 2. “ LOVING YOU”, July 1957, Paramount “ JAILHOUSE ROCK”, October 1957, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “ KING CREOLE”, May 1958, Paramount “ GI BLUES”, October 1960, Paramount “ FLAMING STAR”, December 1960, Twentieth Century Fox “ WILD IN THE COUNTRY”, June1961, Twentieth Century Fox “ BLUE HAWAII”, November 1961, Paramount “ FOLLOW THAT DREAM”, March 1962, United Artists “ KID GALAHAD”, July 1962, United Artists “ GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS!”, November 1962, Paramount “ IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD’S FAIR”, April 1963, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “ FUN IN ACAPULCO”, November 1963, Paramount “ KISSIN’ COUSINS”, March 1964, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “ VIVA LAS VEGAS”, May 1964, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “ ROUSTABOUT”, November 1964, Paramount “ GIRL HAPPY”, January 1965, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “ TICKLE ME”, September 1965, Allied Artists “ HARUM SCARUM”, October 1965, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “ FRANKIE AND JOHNNY”, March 1966, United Artists “PARADISE, HAWAIIAN STYLE”, June 1966, Paramount “ SPINOUT”, October 1966, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “ EASY COME, EASY GO”, March 1967, Paramount “ DOUBLE TROUBLE”, April 1967, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “ CLAMBAKE”, October 1967, United Artists “ STAY AWAY, JOE”, March 1968, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “ LIVE A LITTLE, LOVE A LITTLE” ,October 1968, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “ CHARRO”, March 1969, National General Corporation “ THE TROUBLE WITH GIRLS”, May 1969, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “ CHANGE OF HABIT”, October 1969, N.B.C.- Universal “ ELVIS: THAT’S THE WAY IT IS”, November 1970, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Bibliography Jerry Hopkins “ Elvis” Priscilla Presley “ Elvis And Me” Internet PAGE PAGE 9 쥁@