I was 20, home from college washing dishes at the Longhorn Ranch in Concordville, Pa.
During the dinner hour word got out that The King had passed from this world.
The steak house moaned to a halt as the entire posse of young middle-aged cowgirl waitresses wept all over their naugahyde vests. A few fainted.
The managers all freaked out.
Five years later Warren Zevon wrote
Jesus Mentioned.
Jesus Mentioned - WZ
ReplyDeleteI'm going down to Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
I'm going down to Graceland
Thinking about the King
Remembering him sing
About those heavenly mansions
Jesus mentioned
Can't you just imagine
Digging up the King
Begging him to sing
About those heavenly mansions
Jesus mentioned
He went walking on the water
He went walking on the water
He went walking on the water
With his pills
Can't you just imagine
Digging up the King
Begging him to sing
About those heavenly mansions
Jesus mentioned
He is a genius (Zevon). Have you heard the song"Keep Me in Your Heart for Awhile," the song he wrote when he was dying? Beautiful. Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteYeah, WZ hooked me back in college. "Keep Me..." is such a beautiful, poignant heartbreaker.
ReplyDeleteI was 7 the summer he died. I loved "Jailhouse Rock" at that age and I remember seeing a newspaper with the headline of his death, and I guess I understood what that meant. I remember he was overweight and pretty bloated in the picture they included, which was likely of one of his final performances. I think I thought he was a fat Evel Kineval because of that ridiculous white jumpsuit he continued to wear.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine growing up when he rose to fame, when the theme of the music industry was to co-opt "black" music and start to unravel the hatred of racism (that might have been an unforeseen side-effect. and not like that theme vanished). The Beatles, The Stones, later Led Zeppelin and many bands in between, since, and after all did the same thing: reinterpreted American music from prior eras into pop/rock and/or roll.
For every Elvis there are countless influences who don't get the mainstream success for one reason or another (timing, money, looks, skin color) though usually not talent. See Freddy King and Buddy Guy, who are largely credited by aficiandos and historians but are never heard on the radio or whatever we call the radio nowadays.
Great irreverant song by an underrated band: Elvis is Dead by Living Colour, with a vocal interlude by none other than Little Richard. It's about the fervor of his fans and the refusal to believe that he's dead.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/sy-14247154/living_colour_elvis_is_dead_official_music_video/