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lvis Aron Presley was born January
8, 1935 into a stereotypically poverty-stricken family of the Great
Depression. His father was an
ex-felon, convicted and jailed for altering checks to help his family survive. His mother sheltered him and let her
strong religious faith guide the Presley family. As Elvis grew up, he became a symbol of the rags to riches
American dream. In fact, he
symbolized whatever his fans needed him to be: a rockabilly rebel, a teenage
heartthrob, a movie star, an American GI, a Las Vegas performer, an eccentric
Nixon admirer, a suffering drug addict, and more. The American people were not alone in their admiration, for
Elvis quickly developed a fan base around the world. More than just a musician, Elvis Presley became an international
commodity who influenced youth attitudes, gender roles, and race relations
around the world.
Elvis exploded onto the world
stage in September 1956 when he performed before millions of viewers on the Ed
Sullivan Show. In order to adequately discuss his
effect on the world, the pre-1956 culture needs to first be examined. The world as a whole was experiencing a
conflict between the generations, as well as between genders. Youth wanted to distance themselves
from their parents, which was the generation responsible for the Second World
War and the atrocities associated with it such as the Holocaust. The mass genocide that took place not
only represented the extreme racism of the day, but also acted to repress
individual rights and free attitudes.
In the United States, Memphis in the 1950s was at the center of the
Civil Rights Movement. White
American youths were witnessing sit-ins, bus boycotts, and the fight for
desegregation while their parents fought to protect racial inequality. Europe, on the other hand, was
struggling to bounce back from World War II. A little over a decade had passed from the end of the war
until Elvis was first broadcast around the world. National identities were being established and American
culture was too strong of a force to ignore. Officials wanted to allow some American influence, but not
so much as to lose their own identities.
In June of 1953, an uprising in East Germany took place that some
historians say really opened the doors for Western culture to be accepted in
Central and Eastern Europe. A
string of riots broke out in East Germany, sparking more rebellions in Hungary,
Czechoslovakia, Poland.
Eventually, these riots and rebellions led to the fall of Communism in
the region.[1]
The Nazis had banned jazz music
and so the years following the end of World War II displayed a gradual spread
of jazz music to just a few clubs.
It was by no means a popular widespread music movement in Europe.[2] In the United States, jazz was more
popular but still identified with black musicians and therefore maintained a
racial association keeping it popular to specific demographics. Rock music is a combination of
African-influenced music forms, specifically jazz but also ranging from gospel,
folk and rhythm and blues specifically emerging from the cultures of the
Mississippi Delta.[3] Jazz music was the backbone of rock,
and according to Sam Phillips, [H]istory should record that Elvis was
unquestionable the first rock n roll performer.[4] Phillips is credited with discovering
Elvis at his small Memphis studio Sun Records. Through Elviss childhood in a very poor white family, he
was surrounded by African American musicians playing on the street
corners. It is often reported that
Phillips said if he could find a white man with a black sound, hed make a
million bucks.[5]
It was this sentiment that helped to
actually coin the phrase rock n roll. Alan Freed, a popular white disc
jockey catered to a mixed audience.
He needed a term to describe this new music form that was very similar
to rhythm and blues, but to not have the negative connotation associated with
R&B black singers, and so he simply described the rockabilly and rhythm and
blues combination as rock n roll.[6]
Since the 1950s,
American popular culture has become recognized as the preferred culture of
youth worldwide. Elvis was able to
appeal to his fans around the world because he could represent whatever was
needed of him. His image was what
sold him in the United States and around the world. When talking about Elvis, there is a difference between the
man and the image, and it is through his image that he is able to influence
such a wide spectrum. It is really
his image that affected the world so greatly, not necessarily Elvis
himself. He was not a lyricist; he
was not writing the songs that affected the youth of the world. Elvis was the entertainer who could
catch the attention and connect with the teenagers so that they were able to
consume his music and interpret the meaning however they needed to interpret
it. He was a marketed image that
was able to become what was needed of him.
Part of that image
that was seen and consumed around the world was that of a teenage rebel. Elvis stood for everything that the
authority was not. If adolescents interpreted authority to
be an overly-masculine and macho, violent government then Elvis could be viewed
as a sensitive man with a feminine side.
A large part of his success was due to the fact that he could counter
the authority figure in any given teenagers life. He recognized this early in his career and it may have
ultimately contributed to his downfall.
He was quoted as saying the image is one thing and the human being is
anotherits very hard to live up to an image.[7]
The image that
propelled him into fame was what most teenagers saw him as: a rebel. Elvis had an attitude about him; he
would act the way he wanted and danced with free movement. Prior to 1956, there were gangs in
existence with small female populations within the gangs, mostly girlfriends of
gang leaders. These girl rebels
were envied by the middle and upper-class girls, and the rebels attitudes and
sexual promiscuity were often the topic of gossip circles. In Germany, a respectable girl would
not hang on the street corners with boys while wearing pants and tight fitting
sweaters.[8] Officials in European countries,
specifically Germany, would focus the attention of the media on the male
delinquents and ignoring the females.
It seems that the general idea was that these female rebels would not
last and there was no need to call attention to the problem. After the introduction of Elvis Presley
to German airwaves, however, the numbers grew. The attitudes and fashion trends became widespread. Boys were also attracted to the rebelliousness
that he symbolized and were seen imitating his styles and mannerisms. Boys were seen growing their hair long
and sporting the ducktail hairstyle.
One East German remembers growing his hair long and styling it to hide
the length. When he was out of his
father's sight, he could then style it into an Elvis curl.[9] Dress codes were established for many
schools both in Europe and in the United States. Boys were to have short, neat hair and girls were mandated
to wear skirts. In West Germany,
girls were allowed to attend school wearing pants, but jeans were absolutely
unacceptable as jeans were considered to be strictly masculine attire.[10]
The fact that parents
did not approve of Elvis and his music attracted teenage fans even more. Even the lyrics of his songs seemed to
encourage rebelliousness, such as Jailhouse Rock. There were a number of factors contributing to the success
of rock n roll music in the late 1950s in Europe. The amount of attention that the media placed on rock n
roll fans and culture made listening to and emulating Elvis the trendy thing to
do. In addition, the attention was
negative so
not only was it trendy to be an Elvis admirer, but it was radical and was going
to separate the youths from the generation they themselves criticized. Local German radio stations refused to
play rock music, but youths had access to Western stations such as AFN, BFN,
and Radio Luxemburg. The thrill of
having to go elsewhere to listen to what they wanted encouraged the youths to
continue doing so. Another key
contributor to the success of rock music was the spread of juke boxes in youth
hangouts, and although Elvis Presley music was not permitted, teenagers could
listen to other rock artists.
Listening to his music
eventually became more difficult as parents began to ban him from their homes,
but teenagers would continue to see him on the silver screen, such as in Love
Me Tender, which
was dubbed—and censored—by the Germans.[11] There are reports of a riot taking
place in a small German town after a nighttime showing of the film as the teens
flooded the streets and began dancing in their inappropriate rock n roll
style.[12] The form of dancing associated with
rock n roll terrified adults as it required movements that did not require a partner. The moves were untamed and rhythmic,
and completely offensive to a generation that was brought up with waltzes and
other partnered dance steps. A
West German magazine geared towards teenagers included a cartoon entitled How
to Dance Rock n Roll, mocking this style of dance. The boy and the girl are wearing the same outfit (jeans and
a t-shirt) and the boy is flailing about, kicking the girl in the stomach and
pushing her face. The caption
states, The woman has equal rights, Treat her accordingly.[13] Parents came to view this form of dance
style as working-class level, and each family of course felt that their
children were above that.
Parents continued to
view Elvis as a vulgar, sexual being out to corrupt the youth of their country,
whether it be America or a nation in Europe. Parents in Holland, for example, labeled his music as a
dangerous kind of infernal noise, making a subtle reference to the devil.[14] In the United States, The Ed
Sullivan Show was
known for its family values and being a show that everyone could watch. Sullivan himself made it public that he
would never put Elvis on his stage, but the popularity of Elvis grew so rapidly
that Sullivan had no choice but to give in to his audience requests. The condition to having Elvis on the
show was that he was only to be filmed from the waist up in an attempt to
censor his movements and keep the vulgarity of his dancing hips from being
viewed by the families watching at home.
One Los Angeles reporter described a concert as one of those
screeching, uninhibited party rallies, which the Nazis used to hold for
Hitler.[15] The reporter was obviously attempting
to label not only Elvis but also his fans in a negative fashion.
Churches around the
world all had similar reactions, ranging from labeling Elvis as lewd and
oversexed, to condemning him for satanic dancing. He was ultimately viewed by the clergy as everything that
represented the unholy. While his
dancing stirred up inappropriate thoughts of sexual desire, even standing still
he was found to be too sexual with his signature sneer and intense eyes. The church sought to stop his influence
on their youth by forming committees to ban his music, and all rock music, in
local clubs. These committees also
censored his movies and succeeded in cutting two scenes from Love Me Tender before it was shown to German
audiences. The scenes that were
omitted were found to contain over-flirtation by the lead actress and might
be dangerous to the impressionable young girls viewing the film.[16] In addition, lyrics from his songs were
changed because some lines were just too sexual and would not be played on
certain stations. For example,
there are two versions of Shake Rattle and Roll. One contains the line Your low cut dress and the sun come
shining through/Well I cant tell you aint no child no more. The other, radio-friendly version is
Im like a one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store/I can look at your and 
tell you aint no child no more.[17]
As parents
were witnessed the changes taking place in their children, they tried to take
charge. Rock music was no longer
allowed to be played on the homes record player and Elviss picture was no
longer to be displayed in their daughters bedroom. A sort of underground culture began to form because
teenagers formed together to listen to the music that was not allowed within
their homes. Dutch nozems, a group of boys roughly the same
age, came to emulate American rock musicians such as Elvis. Along with their girlfriends who wore
cropped pants and tight sweaters, they gained a bad reputation for imitating
the rebels of America.[18] The boys were labeled as delinquents
and the girls were looked at as promiscuous.
The
subculture that emerged in Holland was not the only example of
American-influenced deviant groups.
In East Germany, youths began to protest against the government and
using Elvis to do so. East German
officials had begun to seriously crack down on the rock n roll movement and
created Ordnungsgruppen, or security groups comparable to the Third Reichs Hitler Youth.[19] It was the responsibility of these
groups to make sure that the events of state-sponsored youth groups were
respectable and proper. This means
no rock n roll dancing, rock music, and absolutely no listening to Western radio
stations. Officials encouraged the
Lipsi, an
attempt to satisfy the youth with a hipper, upbeat form of dancing that still
required a partner but was meant to be a compromise. Also encouraged by East German officials was a bandleader by
the name of Ado Koll. He was also
meant to be a compromise between the American rock musicians and respectable
German music by providing a more upbeat music form. The East German youth responded in 1959 with the protest
chant, We want no Lipsi and we want no Ado [sic] Koll, instead we want Elvis and his rock and
roll![20]
The connection between Elvis and
rebelling against the East German government went deeper than simply
protesting. Many Elvis admirers
also worked to distribute information against the German Democratic Republic
and the Soviet Union. The
officials arrested gang members (both males and females between the ages of
fifteen and twenty years old) who were public about the fact that their idol
was Elvis Presley. The gang leader
went by the alias of Presley and crimes against the members included rapes,
prostitution, and pimping. A
search of some of the apartments of these youths turned up pictures of
sex-bombs (very sexy women) clipped from newspapers, twenty-four fascist
texts, twelve pictures of Elvis Presley, ninety-three pictures and postcards
from the West, thirty-three Western newspapers, three hundred fifty-eight
western and romance novels, and forty-five nude photos.[21] It turned out that there was a strong
correlation between anti-government groups and rock n roll fans.
Beyond
promoting rebelliousness in youth, Elvis Presley also influenced gender
roles. Females are often and
widely credited with establishing gender roles because it is they who become
girlfriends and eventually wives.
Males will follow suit to whatever role it is that the females
prefer. With Elvis, girls wanted
to date him and therefore boys wanted to be him. Critics loved to pick on him and could never quite agree
upon which gender role to assign to him. One group of critics accused him of being overly feminine,
while the other labeled him as overly masculine.
Those who
accused him of over-femininity are commonly the country fans who were thrown
off by his wearing of makeup.[22] Elvis would wear makeup to enhance his
features for publicity shoots which were mainly captured on black and white
film, especially in the early days.
His long hair, pouty lips, and emotional eyes additionally categorized
him as looking feminine, and was played up by the use of makeup. As he became more famous, he began
dying his hair darker and wearing makeup to look better in photos and his image
became so well known that the makeup and dyed hair became a natural look for
him. The fact that he wore makeup
faded into the background, except for the effect it had on new musicians. Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones
repeatedly refers to Elvis Presley as an inspiration for his glam rock
attitude and flashy stage movements.[23] By listening to some of Elviss lyrics,
he does contradict the accepted, masculine belief of men being
self-sufficient. Songs such as
One Night that include lyrics Just call my name/And Ill be right by your
side/I want your sweet helping hand/My loves too strong to hide and Love Me
with lines Well, if you ever go/Darling, Ill be oh so lonely/Beggin on my
knees/All I ask is please, please love me are prime examples.[24]
The more
wide-spread criticism of Elvis Presley was that he was a macho, over-masculine
entertainer who maintained his fan base by thrusting his hips. This was the view shared by some of the
media, but also by parents and authority figures who saw him as a corrupting
force. He was seen as a
manipulator of his female fans who were not capable of making rational
decisions because he appealed to the irrational side of their brain. This criticism of Elvis placed females
into a weak gender role, claiming that female Elvis admirers were not
intelligent enough to make the correct decision of ignoring him. His critics cited his lyrics, along
with his media-given nickname of Elvis the Pelvis to provide reason for his
over-masculinity. Songs such as
Wear My Ring Around Your Neck included lines that stated Let them see your
love for me/And let them know by wearing my ring around your neck and I Was
The One with lines She lived, she loved, she laughed, she cried/And it was
all for me.[25] These, along with many others, were
interpreted to show a control over the female.
Gender
roles were further defined with the formation of garage bands. As noted before, girls wanted to date
Elvis and therefore boys wanted to be him. Imitating Elvis included growing out their hair, but a major
factor was music. If a boy could
sing, play the guitar, or create a band with his friends he was one step closer
to becoming like Elvis. The
division between male and female roles is emphasized with the formation of
these bands because females were not allowed to participate. Not only were they not welcome by the
boys (they wanted to impress the girls, not play along side them), but parents
did not allow it. Their sons were
now permitted to stay up later at night with their friends for practices or go
out on the weekends to play gigs, but daughters were to remain home.[26] This established the proper role for a
female was in the home, and encouraged daughters to rebel against their parents
for equal treatment of their siblings.
Not only are teenage boys
worldwide attempting to impress their female peers by imitating Elvis, but
professional musicians are trying the same thing. Because American popular culture was preferred worldwide,
musicians from every country wanted to cash in on the success that American
musicians such as Elvis were achieving.
This meant singing in English no matter what country and usually
covering Elviss songs. New
Zealand has historically covering American musical hits, and the first major
local artists achieved their greatest chart success with covers; for example,
Johnny Devlin, New Zealands answer to Elvis Presley, with Lawdy Miss Clawdy.
(1956)[27] If a singer could imitate Elvis in song
and mannerisms, he was destined to be a success in his country whether that
country was Holland, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, or anywhere else.[28]
It is
commonly understood that Elvis gained his popularity through his
sexuality. Whether girls were
attracted to his looks, or boys were attracted to the girls who were attracted
to his looks, Elviss appearance and mannerisms played a major role. Song lyrics helped to convey the
sexuality that helped his popularity.
For example, in the song Little Sister Elvis attempts to date
ex-girlfriends little sister who has grown up. The lyrics go Well I used to pull your pigtails/And pinch
your turned up nose/But you been a-growin/A baby its been showin/From your
head down to your toes.[29] At his first public appearance, he sang
and danced the way he always had for his family and friends. The first time he ground his hips on
stage, he thought the audience screams meant he was flopping. Not flopping—changing the world. Unfortunately, his performance almost
landed him in a lot of trouble as a local judge attempted to charge him with
lewd conduct.[30]
A 1986
study by Sue Wise found an alternate and interesting theory to his
popularity. Wise, an open lesbian,
admitted to being a dedicated Elvis fan as a child in the 1960s. As she matured and settled into her
identity as a lesbian, she drifted away from her attraction to Elvis until
hearing about his death in 1977 when waves of sadness hit her. She realized she had strong feelings
for Elvis even though she was not sexually attracted to males. The theory she arrived at is referred
to as the teddy bear theory in which fans become attached in a non-sexual
way. This explains the
prepubescent fans who are not aware of the concept of sexuality who have some
sort of connection to Elvis. He
becomes a hobby, a mascot, or a secret friend.[31] In addition to Wises theory, a 1988
study found that women who listened to Elvis music were relaxed and gained pure
pleasure from just hearing the music.
Meanwhile, men participating in the study listened much more intently
and reportedly gained clues on how to act socially.[32]
Elvis
Presleys genre of music most closely resembles that which is labeled as race
music. Race music is described as
being any type of music that is influenced by African culture, which includes
the jazz and rhythm and blues that Elvis drew upon. The African influence is felt in the swing beats, vocal
ranges, guttural effects, lyric improvising, vocal rhythms, blue notes,
vernacular harmony, and many more characteristics that Elvis employs. Although essentially all of his music,
especially the early releases, are examples of race music, the African
influence is clearly shown in Lawdy Miss Clawdy and in Blue Suede Shoes.[33] This form of music horrified all
supporters of high culture on both sides of the Atlantic which speaks magnitudes to the
effect that it was having on the youth consumers.[34]
There are
artists, white and African-American, who take sides as to how Elvis interpreted
the African-influenced music.
Elvis himself, known for his modesty and shyness in the early years,
states that the colored folks been singing it and playing it just like Im
doing now, for more years than I know.[35] Jackie Wilson, a black musician who
made appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, came back with A lot of people have accused
Elvis of stealing the black mans music, when in fact, almost every black solo
entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis.[36] Little Richard said it best that he
was an integrator, Elvis was a blessing.
They wouldnt let black music through. He opened the door.[37] It is not that Elvis copied or stole
the black mans music but instead was heavily influenced and adapted it into
his own genre of music with his unique vocals and free movements.[38]
Logically
in this world, when a new form of race music and a new race music performer is
introduced, there will be some racism that will follow. Both the United States and European
nations were making the same criticisms.
The Civil Rights Movement was gaining momentum in
the United States. Racist American
parents wanted their children to have nothing to do with the white man who
sounded and moved like a black man.
Racist Europeans were the same way, and the generation of the Holocaust
did little to hide their opinions.
Blacks (along with Jews, Gypsies, and Asians) were portrayed through
propaganda and the media during the Holocaust as sexual aggressors and an
inferior people.
All the
German media had to do in order to promote racism was to simply latch on to the
American press, repeating the criticisms that were being said in the United
States. East and West Germany both
echoed rumors started in the
United States that Elviss ancestors were African slaves. His fans and concertgoers were
described in newspaper articles as having stereotypically black features in an
attempt to provide a negative connotation with being associated as an Elvis
admirer.[39]
While
parents disapproved of Elvis because his sexual nature corrupt their
children, the racist characteristics that they placed on him further encouraged
their children to listen. As the
current generation wanted to continue to distance themselves from the previous,
especially for Holocaust-related reasons, teenagers wanted to do radical things
such as listen to Elvis Presley.
In addition, race was not such a big thing to the majority of
teenagers. In most European cases,
Elviss music was first heard through a Western radio station or on a record
player with friends. In fact, it
was not just Elvis music but music with similar beats and rhythms. Music with a similar sound was gaining
popularity in some groups that had already established a fan base with Elvis,
and many teenagers did not know that the artist was African-American. If and when the teenagers found out
they may be listening to and loving an African-Americans album, they just did
not care. It really was all about
the music. This sparked a major
social change both in the United States and in Europe as the teenagers embraced
the African-American music and slowly their culture. Through initially accepting Elvis and rebelling against
their parents racism, the first real generation that would understanding
racial equality was established.
Rock n roll music in Europe
promoted this idea that nationality was being threatened. Europeans wanted to allow some of the
American culture into their respective countries, but they also wanted to
control what specifically was accepted.
With Elvis, there was no control.
Youth the world over could not get enough of him and there was no way to
adequately censor him to make him acceptable by their standards. In Germany, nationalist were afraid
that the African-influenced culture was going to take over their children and
create an inferior nation. Cold
War propaganda in East Germany against Western nations and the United States
specifically created a link between American rock music and blackness. The attempt was to shock the parents
and the club owners to take control (more than they already had) by banning his
music and crack down on Elvis admirers.
Some of the more common propaganda used was that rock music appealed to
primitive humans. This is a
familiar American-media criticism of Elvis Presley that the East Germans picked
up, along with describing his music as jungle beats and his listeners dancing
together as if in a tribe.[40]
Also threatening nationalism was
the fact that Elvis and other American musicians were stealing the music market
from locals. As already discussed,
American culture since the 1950s has been the dominant and preferred culture of
youth worldwide. Local musicians
were finding the most success by covering Elvis songs and imitating him in at
least his looks and sound. The
difference was that the local musicians understood the taboo associated with
his movements and did not try to dance around like Elvis, which probably added
to the fact that no imitator made it quite as big as Elvis did. Germans attempted to promote their own
version of Elvis Presley, a young handsome musician who played upbeat music by
the name of Peter Kraus. He did
become very popular, but he was no replacement for Elvis.[41] France came up with an Elvis imitator
in Johnny Hallyday; Italy produced Claude Franois; and Great Britain found
popularity in Cliff Richard.
With
imitators in the 1950s and 1960s trying to cash in on the success that Elvis
had, the age of impersonation followed in the 1970s. A study conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle found thirty-seven registered,
professional Elvis impersonators at the time of his death in 1977. In 1993, there were roughly forty-eight
thousand registered, professional impersonators. Following that trend, the projected number of registered, professional
Elvis impersonators for the year 2010 is a mind-blowing estimated two and a
half billion. The population of
the world itself is estimated to be between seven and eight billion, meaning
that one out of three people would be an Elvis impersonator.[42]
Impersonators come from all over
the world. Some of the more famous
are Afghan, French, Swedish, Filipino, Chinese, and Sikh. From Mexico, El Vez is one of the most
popular impersonators worldwide.[43] More popular than the Mexican Elvis,
however, is most likely Junichiro Koizumi from Japan. Not only is he an impersonator, but he is the former Prime
Minister. In 2002, he toured
Elviss home at Graceland, escorted by President George Bush and First Lady
Laura Bush. Koizumi has released
an album in which he covers some of his favorite Elvis songs.
A clear
example of the effect that Elvis Presley had on the world can be seen through
his legacy. Elvis began as an
integral part of the post-World War II economy and is a continuing money-making
force, even after his death due to radio, re-releases, and merchandising.[44] He is making almost twenty times more
posthumously than as alive. Lisa
Marie Presley, the sole heir to Elviss fortune, sold the rights to her fathers
name in 2004 in a deal worth approximately one hundred billion dollars. The bulk of Elviss estate went to
Robert Sillerman who has stated he will work to advance merchandising outside
of the United States, specifically in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Lisa Marie held onto Graceland,
however, which is visited annually by thousands upon thousands of tourists,
peaking in the month of August to commemorate Elviss death.[45]
Since his
death in 1977, the flood of Elvis-themed material culture is nothing short of
shocking. Described simply as
Presleymania, the craze ranges from consumerism to organized religion. The First Presleyterian Church of Elvis
the Divine is a popular organized religion often criticized. However, in a historical perspective,
these fans are doing what Americans have always done, being that they shaped
and accommodated their religious practices to mesh with individual, rather than
strictly institutional, desires.[46] There is really no stronger argument of
a persons effect on the world than that of masses of people coming together to
form a religion out of respect for him.
Nearly
thirty years after his death, Elvis is still releasing records and topping the
charts. In 2002, Nike used a remix
of Elviss popular Little Less Conversation for World Cup commercials. This remix hit number one in over
twenty countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and
Australia. Also in 2002, the album
Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits was released which hit number one on album charts all over
the world. Burning Love was
re-released (not a remix) as a single which hit the Top 40 chart in
Australia. A remix of
Rubberneckin released in 2003 made it to the Top 3 in Australia and the Top 5
in the United Kingdom. Thats All
Right, one of the first songs ever released by Elvis, was re-released (not a
remix) in 2004 making the Top 3 in the United Kingdom and the Top 40 in
Australia. In 2005, the United
Kingdom began re-releasing Elvis songs in the order of which they hit the
number one spot upon their first release.
Jailhouse Rock instantly took the number one spot and held until the
re-release of One Night/I Got Stung a few weeks later. With these continuing re-releases,
Elvis is the only artist to spend at least one thousand weeks on the British
Top 40 charts. In the history of
singles charts in the United Kingdom, Elvis has spent the most time in the
number one spot. His singles have
spent twenty-one weeks at number one, with three songs hitting number one twice
due to re-releases. He also holds
the record for the most weeks at number one with eighty weeks, and additionally
holds the records for the most Top 10 and Top 40 hits.[47]
Along with
his current releases and re-releases, Elvis continues to have an effect on the
current world. Many of the worlds
most popular and talented musicians that have emerged since 1956 have credited
Elvis as an inspiration or somehow instrumental to their own successes,
including: Elton John, Buddy Holly, Bruce Springstein, Paul McCartney, John
Lennon, Little Richard, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler, and Bob
Dylan. Even 2007 pop idol Justin
Timberlake has thanked Elvis for all that he has done for the music community.
President
Jimmy Carter, on news of Elvis
death in 1977, said clearly and effectively just how vital Elvis Presley was to
the world: Elvis Presley's death deprives our country of a part of itself. He
was unique, irreplaceable. More than twenty years ago, he burst upon the scene
with an impact that was unprecedented and will probably never be equaled. His
music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm
and blues, permanently changed the face of American popular culture. His
following was immense. And he was a symbol to people the world over of the
vitality, rebelliousness and good humor of this country.[48]
Elvis
Presley influenced not only the United States in the 1950s, but the entire
world. He had an effect on youth
rebellions all over the world because many teenagers were not permitted to
listen to his music, view his movies, and were punished for emulating what he
represented. His image blurred
gender roles, which consequently further defined the roles that men and women
were supposed to, or allowed, to maintain. He also opened the door for black music and inspired a
generation to welcome in an African-influenced culture.
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