Thursday, August 23, 2012

Elvis- BFF 221


      Elvis is one of those rare performers that come along that is not only good but legendary.  His voice, his style, and his moves were unique and shaped rock and roll.  It is no wonder why he has been pegged as the King of the genre. Every song he recorded defined an era.  Amazingly enough while some performers and their work is regulated into dusty archives and history books, Elvis’s music lives on.


       Another thing that really set him apart was the way he danced.  Back in the 1950’s people didn’t shake their package around.  It simply wasn’t done.  It is not that my parent’s generation didn’t know about $ex or how to be wild.  It happened behind closed doors and was rarely discussed.  Television and movies were “G” rated.  They didn’t throw it out there in your face.  It is no wonder that girls went ape $hit and guys struggled to look like him.  He was the epitome of cool and sex appeal.  Elvis elicited raw hormones and excitement that without any doubt gave ladies the notion to throw their panties on the stage and scream themselves silly.


















   



         I remember vividly one time when my mom and I were watching TV and Rod Stewart came on wearing hot pink spandex pants that left little to the imagination.  He sang “Do You Think I’m Sexy?”  My mother’s eyes bugged out of her head and her jaw dropped.  Here was a woman that grew up during a time period when Elvis shaking everything he had was shocking and she just about lost it.  It was funny to see and I will never forget the look on her face.  The only difference between Elvis and Rod Stewart was that Elvis wasn’t sporting skin tight spandex.  Elvis left more to the imagination.  My mom would be blown away by the music videos and lyrics that are prevalent today.




       In this day and age, Elvis would be pretty tame compared to LMFAO’s video performance of “I’m Sexy and I Know It” or pretty much anything Lady Gaga would have to offer.  As a generation we have kind of gotten used to being shocked to the point where simply nothing amazes us anymore.   We are used to seeing a lot of skin.  Elvis had the whole package.  He had the look, the shock value, and a fabulous voice that could make “I’m a Little Teapot” sound good. 


         35 years have passed since his death and still his legendary music and mannerisms live on.  People still attempt to imitate him and his songs are still played.   It is little wonder that when Elvis left the building for the last time, the world mourned his loss.  People still flock to Graceland to experience his magic first hand.  No matter how hard people try to duplicate his magic and mystique they soon discover, there will only ever be one Elvis until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.


18 comments:

  1. I liked a few of his songs, but by the time I became aware of pop music, the Beatles was the band Paul McCartney was in before Wings and Elvis was from 'way back in the 50s!!!' even though 'Burnin Love' was very popular on the radio in the 70s. I really like 'A little less conversation', which I only know b/c of an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond!! Still, you can't deny his influence on music - if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have rock and roll.

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    1. JoJo, I think that the music that a person loves and listens to during their teenage years is the music that really shapes a person's tastes for the rest of their lives. I have distinct memories of Elvis's music playing around the house growing up because he was it when my mom was coming of age. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!

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  2. I love Elvis' music, always have. My grandma used to laugh when I would chose which 45's to play when I was at her house. My aunt was about 13 years older than I was, and had left a stack (or four) of 45's at gramma's, so when I was there, I would play them. There was a lot of Elvis' music in the mix (along with the Beatles, The Troggs, The Animals, etc...). People used to think my father looked a lot like Elvis... heh, if he could dance ;-)

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    1. November Rain-k, like you I loved his music and I even enjoyed watching his movies. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments!

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  3. Nicely done and of course, I agree there will never be another of his magnitude. He is my King of all things musical.

    The amazing thing about his music is that is spans all genres. He did country, rock, gospel, pop and musical scores. What a talent!

    Good job paying tribute to my man. ♥

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    1. Jo..lol..your man??You have competition,ME!LOL :)

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    2. Jo, a great point. Elvis could pull off every genre of music. He was an exceptional talent! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments.

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    3. Laila, LOL you and Jo can fight over first dibs!!

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    1. Laila, I am so pleased you enjoyed my blog! Thank you for stopping by to read, comment, and join in on the conversation!

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  5. Great job! loved the insets! Thank you

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    1. Humor after 50, the insets made this piece fun to put together. I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments!

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  6. LOL @ Rod Steward in pink spandex... I missed that one and I think I'm glad. hahaha Great tribute to Elvis! I know a lot of whack jobs have said they have seen him... Is it any wonder? He does live on...

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    1. Darlene, the vision of Rod Stewart on pink spandex has never ever completely left me. LOLOLOL You missed out on that one! All the Elvis sightings are simply wishful thinking. His music was timeless and he was unique. Very few performers can claim the fame that Elvis enjoyed during his lifetime or postmortem. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments!!

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  7. a nice tribute to elvis... i think he will forever be a legend and a lot more coming generations will still appreciate and love his music. Yahweh bless.

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    1. Ralph, I agree with you completely! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments!

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  8. Great post, Kathy. I, too, have always appreciated his music.

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    1. Betty, I have always liked Elvis's music. It is timeless. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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