Elvis Real vs Reel
- saranhunt
- Mar 22
- 6 min read
Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. His parents were Gladys Love and Vernon Presley. Elvis also had a twin brother, Jesse Garon, who was born 35 minutes before him but unfortunately as a stillborn.
In 1948, Elvis’s family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. This move would expose him to some of his greatest musical influences: the Gospel music that he heard in church as well as Blues, Country music and R&B.
Elvis started gaining popularity in 1953, after his first appearance at Sun Records where he caught the attention of its owner Sam Phillips. The following year he played his first single “That’s All Right” at Overton Shell.
“This was when the girls first discovered Elvis”. (Williamson et al., 2015) The lineup on July 30, 1953 was put together by Bob Neal who was at that time “a popular Memphis radio personality and promoter”.(Williamson et al., 2015) However Elvis’s appearance would need some persuasion from Sam Phillips due to the nature of Elvis’s music being not only country, as expected and required, but a mixture of all of his influences as a child. When the day came Elvis took everyone off guard not only because of his original style in music but because of the way in which he carried himself. As he performed on the stage Elvis did what no one else would have dared to do. He used his abundant energy, bold movements, and engagement of the crowd and consequently received an equally energetic response. Later, Elvis said, “Everyone was hollering, and I didn’t know what they were hollering at”. (Williamson et al., 2015)
In 1955 Elvis signed himself to RCA Records, and Tom Parker became his manager. This would be the beginning of Elvis’s nationwide popularity, downfall, and later lead to his premature death. On January 10, 1956, Elvis recorded “Heartbreak hotel” at RCA Records. This would be a major hit and become his first single to reach number one and bind his name to music history forever. He also released his debut album entitled “Elvis Presley”.
Later that year Elvis made his first of many TV appearances including his first film “Love Me Tender” moving him to the screen for all of America to see. By this time Elvis’s on-stage hip shaking was very well known and very controversial this led to him being censored from the waist down on the Ed Sullivan Show, which can be found below. After viewing the footage, it becomes apparent that the censorship was ineffective, due to Elvis moving his entire body in the finale, which made it obvious what his censored regions were doing.
Two years later, on March 24, Elvis was drafted to join the U.S. Army serving in Germany, which was received very well by his audience and improved the way that he was seen by the American people.
However, unfortunately, only 6 months later Elvis’s mother who he was extremally close to, died of a heart attack. This devastating loss in his life would become a permanent emotional scar which would be amplified due his active military service.
After being discharged, Elvis returned to America and started to focus mainly on his career in acting.
On May 1, 1967, Elvis was married to Priscilla Beaulieu, who he meets while stationed in Germany. The following year on February 1, his wife gave birth to their daughter who they named Lisa Marie.
In 1968, Elvis decided to return his career to music after 7 years of being an actor. He performed a “Comeback Special” on NBC that December as a way to announce his new direction.
Elvis moved to Las Vegas and entered a contract with the International Hotel. Originally, Elvis would perform for 4 weeks; however, he instead became a resident of the hotel and stayed for seven years where he performed almost exclusively for the hotel two shows a night on all days of the week.
Eventually, this rigorous schedule led Elvis to take medication for discomfort, to which he would eventually become addicted. In total, Elvis performed an outstanding 837 shows while staying at the hotel alone. Through his stay at the International Hotel, Elvis’s health started to have a major decline, and during that time, in October of 1973, Elvis divorced his wife.
On August 16, 1977, paramedics arrived at Graceland where they found Elvis dead in his bathroom. A member of his staff suggested that he “OD’d”. (Williamson et al., 2015) However by the time that the paramedics arrived, it was too late to save Elvis.
I think it is interesting that Elvis is portrayed so differently now than when he was alive. Now media produced, such the Elvis movie, portray him as someone to be pitied and blame his manager for the way his career and his life tragically ended. They make his life seem so horrible that there needs to be someone to blame. One communication strategy that was used is audience analysis. Elvis was marketed to a younger audience when he was alive. The messaging was crafted to attract the younger people who buy albums and go to concerts. In the biography film, the audience would be made up of older people who remember enjoying Elvis Presley’s music and are more interested in the man behind the scenes. The communication is different because there are no more tickets to sell. The biography itself is the main focus.
When Elvis was alive, the narrative was tightly controlled so that he would appeal to the audience that was able to buy his records, attend his concerts, and watch his movies. Elvis’s representatives focused on only releasing information that portrayed him in a positive light. After his death, the narrative shifted to revealing more details about his personal life. Elvis Presley may be looked at as a victim but is still considered as a positive figure and example for future musicians. Elvis will always be the King of Rock and Roll.
Strangely enough, some of his features that made him so popular at the time were censored on television, which may have been good considering that the censorship caused controversy and shifted attention to him. Elvis Presley’s promotors focused on emphasizing certain aspects of Elvis’s life that would appeal to his target audience, for example his military service.
After his death, Elvis’s music was changed to be more palatable for the young crowd of today. Use of autotune and soundboards was implemented in order to gain new fans.
In the biographical film, dramatization of Elvis’s musical influences only showed black and gospel music.
In the film, Elvis asks about why crowd was hollering during his song but it was actually after the song in real life.
Social norms and values of Elvis Presley’s time were much more conservative than they are today. This caused many to find his music and performance style shocking, which led to censorship on television. Elvis’s promoters tried to put a positive spin on everything that was reported about him. He was shown as glamorous, young, creative, and energetic. His military service was used to portray him in a more positive light, which was not consistent with the reality that the crowds could not see at the time.
20 rare and fascinating vintage photos of Elvis Presley as a child and teenager from the 1930s and ’40s. 20 Rare and Fascinating Vintage Photos of Elvis Presley As a Child and Teenager From the 1930s and ’40s ~. (2017, August 8).
Elvis Presley with Sam and Bob Neal... after signing management contract December17, 1955: Elvis Presley, Elvis, NYC. Pinterest. (2019, January 11). https://www.pinterest.com/pin/323555554476718905/
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Custom wall decals. Fathead. (n.d.). https://fathead.com/collections/custom?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=279040483&utm_content=1227055194695554&utm_term=1227055194695554&gadid=&tw_source=bing&tw_campaign=279040483&tw_adid=76691071267852&msclkid=67414e200d871d8ad14d29ff52653b4a
Browse autographs, Hollywood memorabilia, and more from Nate D. Sanders. Shop Autographs, Hollywood Memorabilia, Historical Documents and Rare Signed Documents. (n.d.). https://natedsanders.com/ItemCatalog.aspx
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