I was a little too young to know much about Elvis Presley when he first appeared. All I knew was that he sang in a funny, new way, not like the Four Freshmen. But I became aware of the fact, as I grew, that he had “crossed the line” from what was considered “black music” into the white world. Churches condemned him, parents were outraged, and when he made that first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, the cameras only showed the top part of his body; adults thought that his movements were too sexual.
Yes, it’s all too silly to think about but in an odd way, it was true. Elvis was pure sex. If you drew a kind of “family tree” that traced the history of rock and roll music, there’s a line that connects Elvis with Janis Joplin, who to me sounded like a hollow woman, wanting desperately to have every empty place in her body and soul filled by a big, warm man. Sexual? You bet.
Elvis Presley had a superlative tenor voice and could sing all the way from the most delicate gospel songs to the most sexy songs of desire…i.e., “It’s Now Or Never, My Love Can’t Wait.” This was not about asking for a goodnight kiss. He also possessed a kind of cry in his voice when he sang “Kentucky Rain,” “In The Ghetto,” and his signature song “The Wonder Of You.” I have a recording of all his number 1 songs and I never get tired of listening. By the way, if you listen to Bruce Springsteen you can hear Elvis somewhere in the there.
lgmwriting 