10 Elvis Presley Songs Which Will Change How You Think About The King
Time to change those misconceptions about the King.
Elvis Presley was good for his day but his music doesn't rate highly by modern standards? The singer wasn't really rock 'n roll, recorded nothing of note during the '60s and descended into self-parody throughout the '70s? Probably more has been written about Elvis Presley than any other celebrity. A portion of these words, unfortunately, has lent itself to perpetuating lazy myths and misconceptions. often based on fabricated or misunderstood quotes.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, as the proverb has it. Dedicated fans of any artist or band will tell you that, in order to fully understand and appreciate a body of work, you have to delve deeper than potted histories and greatest hits compilations. In truth, not only was Elvis' 1950s output revolutionary, but the singer continued to lay down countless wonderful recordings across a wide variety of genres, right until his final year.
This list, we hope, will go a fair way towards dispelling many of the myths and misunderstandings surrounding the King, and present the reader with little-heard, but astonishing, Elvis cuts which may just lead you to view the singer in a different light.
10. Yesterday / Hey Jude
Elvis hated The Beatles? Well, no – in fact he admired their music, and stated his admiration publicly. The roots of the “Elvis hated The Beatles” myth stems from Presley's bizarre meeting with then-president Richard Nixon, in 1970. This was a strange time in the singer's life. He was experiencing conflicted feelings about his music and legacy, was concerned about the way the world was turning and seemed desperate to offer some sort of help to society; help which in his eyes it sorely needed.
These obsessions climaxed in a breakdown of sorts, culminating with Presley disappearing from Graceland and flying secretly to Washington. The fact is, Presley did make negative comments about The Beatles to Nixon, although he did not criticise their music. Nuanced study shows that the singer was probably telling Nixon what he thought the president wanted to hear, not what he himself truly believed.
This assumption can be backed up with the fact that, to the last days of his career, Presley regularly included Beatles' songs in his stage act. Something, Get Back and Lady Madonna were all covered by Presley, but his favourites seemed to be Yesterday and Hey Jude, which he performed as a medley, and did so to striking effect.