Post by Rob Durkee on Jan 8, 2010 18:55:40 GMT -5
By ROCKIN ' ROBIN
“Good evening. It didn’t even matter a great deal whether you liked Elvis or not. He changed our lives. So did a lot of other people…parts of our lives. But they didn’t change things. Mantovani played ‘Charmaine’ a thousand times and we heard it on the radio, in elevators and in dentists’ offices…but it didn’t change anything.
Elvis Presley did. He changed the way then-teenaged America thought about things…about public entertainers and pop music and popular attitudes toward living and behaving and dressing and talking. And so when he died today of some kind of heart ailment at the age of 42, people felt a sense of loss…whether they ever liked his singing or not.”
--David Brinkley, NBC News, August 16, 1977
*********
And just think...Friday marks the 75th anniversary of Elvis Presley's birth. And his legacy lives today with things like that key Sirius-XM advertisement that says "He changed music forever."
Indeed, he did. Remember, the 1950’s was the one decade with the most significant change in pop music.
And Elvis led the way.
The 50’s began with most MOR music by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Perry Como, the Weavers, Patti Page, Teresa Brewer and Mario Lanza. The 50’s ended with music from the likes of Elvis, Pat Boone, the Platters, Ricky Nelson, Connie Francis, Danny and the Juniors, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
Elvis earned his nickname of the King of Rock and Roll with at least 130 Cash Box pop chart hits, over 100 Top 40’s and nearly 40 Top 10’s. He had a string of 20 straight principle singles releases that made the Top 5. And he leads many key statistical categories, including most records sold with the RIAA, the most top 40 movie hits (over 25) and the most B side hits (over 50). Elvis once went a full year with at least one song in the pop top 10.
I invite you to check out his 1968 Comeback TV Special and his “Aloha From Hawaii” 1973 concert, the latter of which eventually had a BILLION watch. Both are on DVD and both capture the essence of what Elvis was all about.
Meanwhile, what was Elvis' greatest song? You could easily say Elvis Presley’s it was…
“Can’t Help Falling In Love”…
OR…
“Love Me Tender”…
Or..
“Suspicious Minds”…or rockers like “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock” or “All Shook Up.”
All classics.
My choice, though, always has and always will be “If I Can Dream.” Whenever I did a tribute show to the King of Rock And Roll on radio, it would always end with “If I Can Dream.” Here’s why…
By late 1968, Elvis hadn’t had a major, memorable hit record in over three and half years. His last big hit, “Crying In The Chapel” from the spring of 1965, was actually recorded in 1960. The primary reason for the hit drought was those incredibly awful mid-60’s movies. The worst was probably 1968’s “Stay Away, Joe.”
Some music critics were calling Elvis a has-been. The song that climaxed the December 1968 “Elvis” special changed everything. Originally, Col. Tom Parker wanted “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” to climax that show. But then somebody went over the Colonel’s head and played on the piano “If I Can Dream” for Elvis to hear. Elvis responded to the song with “I’ll do it” and the statement “I’m never going to sing another song I don’t believe in.”
“If I Can Dream” was Elvis’ first true message record. More would come. “If I Can Dream” peaked at #9 on the Cash Box pop chart. But, most importantly, it brought Elvis back into the spotlight. To stay. “Memories” was a modest hit as his next release and then came the song that solidified Elvis for months to come. “In The Ghetto” would become Elvis’ first Top tenner in four years. People marveled at the song’s message, especially the lyric line “and the hungry little boy with the runny nose.” “Suspicious Minds”, Elvis’ last #1, would follow. Then “Don’t Cry Daddy.”
Then came Elvis’ return to Las Vegas…followed by his 1970’s tours. And it was all made possible thanks to “If I Can Dream.”
Any doubt as to the greatness of this song was pretty much erased on one “American Idol” show. The carefully edited version of the song, making it look and sound like a duet between Elvis and Celine Dion, was simply brilliant. Celine was masterful in her talent and in adjusting her part of the duet to Elvis’.
“Good evening. It didn’t even matter a great deal whether you liked Elvis or not. He changed our lives. So did a lot of other people…parts of our lives. But they didn’t change things. Mantovani played ‘Charmaine’ a thousand times and we heard it on the radio, in elevators and in dentists’ offices…but it didn’t change anything.
Elvis Presley did. He changed the way then-teenaged America thought about things…about public entertainers and pop music and popular attitudes toward living and behaving and dressing and talking. And so when he died today of some kind of heart ailment at the age of 42, people felt a sense of loss…whether they ever liked his singing or not.”
--David Brinkley, NBC News, August 16, 1977
*********
And just think...Friday marks the 75th anniversary of Elvis Presley's birth. And his legacy lives today with things like that key Sirius-XM advertisement that says "He changed music forever."
Indeed, he did. Remember, the 1950’s was the one decade with the most significant change in pop music.
And Elvis led the way.
The 50’s began with most MOR music by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Perry Como, the Weavers, Patti Page, Teresa Brewer and Mario Lanza. The 50’s ended with music from the likes of Elvis, Pat Boone, the Platters, Ricky Nelson, Connie Francis, Danny and the Juniors, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
Elvis earned his nickname of the King of Rock and Roll with at least 130 Cash Box pop chart hits, over 100 Top 40’s and nearly 40 Top 10’s. He had a string of 20 straight principle singles releases that made the Top 5. And he leads many key statistical categories, including most records sold with the RIAA, the most top 40 movie hits (over 25) and the most B side hits (over 50). Elvis once went a full year with at least one song in the pop top 10.
I invite you to check out his 1968 Comeback TV Special and his “Aloha From Hawaii” 1973 concert, the latter of which eventually had a BILLION watch. Both are on DVD and both capture the essence of what Elvis was all about.
Meanwhile, what was Elvis' greatest song? You could easily say Elvis Presley’s it was…
“Can’t Help Falling In Love”…
OR…
“Love Me Tender”…
Or..
“Suspicious Minds”…or rockers like “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock” or “All Shook Up.”
All classics.
My choice, though, always has and always will be “If I Can Dream.” Whenever I did a tribute show to the King of Rock And Roll on radio, it would always end with “If I Can Dream.” Here’s why…
By late 1968, Elvis hadn’t had a major, memorable hit record in over three and half years. His last big hit, “Crying In The Chapel” from the spring of 1965, was actually recorded in 1960. The primary reason for the hit drought was those incredibly awful mid-60’s movies. The worst was probably 1968’s “Stay Away, Joe.”
Some music critics were calling Elvis a has-been. The song that climaxed the December 1968 “Elvis” special changed everything. Originally, Col. Tom Parker wanted “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” to climax that show. But then somebody went over the Colonel’s head and played on the piano “If I Can Dream” for Elvis to hear. Elvis responded to the song with “I’ll do it” and the statement “I’m never going to sing another song I don’t believe in.”
“If I Can Dream” was Elvis’ first true message record. More would come. “If I Can Dream” peaked at #9 on the Cash Box pop chart. But, most importantly, it brought Elvis back into the spotlight. To stay. “Memories” was a modest hit as his next release and then came the song that solidified Elvis for months to come. “In The Ghetto” would become Elvis’ first Top tenner in four years. People marveled at the song’s message, especially the lyric line “and the hungry little boy with the runny nose.” “Suspicious Minds”, Elvis’ last #1, would follow. Then “Don’t Cry Daddy.”
Then came Elvis’ return to Las Vegas…followed by his 1970’s tours. And it was all made possible thanks to “If I Can Dream.”
Any doubt as to the greatness of this song was pretty much erased on one “American Idol” show. The carefully edited version of the song, making it look and sound like a duet between Elvis and Celine Dion, was simply brilliant. Celine was masterful in her talent and in adjusting her part of the duet to Elvis’.