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.
