Elvis Presley's music and my life never really crossed paths. He was dead before I was born. Although one of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar was "Are You Lonesome Tonight? And I do love fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Later, when I learned how he had died.... thirty years ago today.... next to a toilet with his tongue half bitten off... I felt sorry for him.
When I see the footage of his last concerts I can imagine how humiliated he must have been to be fat, sweating like a pig, and stoned out of his mind. When once he made girls scream.
But his faithful fans didn't seem to mind then. And they sure don't mind now. For millions of fans around the world he is still THE KING.
And let's be truthful. Who in the whole wide world wouldn't want his or her lover to sing this song to them ...just like he did?
And who hasn't sung this next one at some point in their life? Like Elvis did during his last concert...
Two months before he died....
Horrible things happened to Elvis. Life can be cruel. He was the original rock and roll outlaw....but they didn't allow him to play himself. They packaged him as the boy next door...just as all the other rockers were becoming bad boys...thanks to him. Drugs stole his life too soon.
But he was a performer to the end.
And thirty years later his fans ....old and new...still remember him. Still carry him in their hearts...
I don't know if he will live forever. Certainly his contribution to rock and roll will never be forgotten.
He sure has a lot of imitators.
But there is still only one KING....
The King! Yeah! I can still remember where I was when I found out he died... a bar called the "red lantern" (which I naturally called the "red latrine"). Auuggghhh! That was forever ago.
ReplyDeleteHe's great and his music is inspiring,However ,he doesn't belong to my age,so... What a pity!
ReplyDeleteJJ, was that the Red Lantern on Merton Street?!
ReplyDeleteHi JJ and Bruce!!!! The Red Lantern? Yikes!! That sounds louche as we say in Quebec. What kind of friends do I have? ;)
ReplyDeleteHi UF Merit!!! Hey music is for all ages!!!I don't know about China but here these days most modern music sucks. Like most of my friends I like a lot of music from the seventies and eighties. BTW I was reading some interesting stuff about gays in your country...and how the government is relaxing things a bit.I know traditions and attitudes are slow to change. But that's got to be good news!!! :)
hey,simon,i used to love simple plan,is that canadian?btw,introduce me one of these interesting staff,thx.
ReplyDeleteBruce - I think so! Around Yonge & whatever the next street up from Bloor is? Don't tell me the Red Latrine is still there!!! *faint*
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