| Elvis on...
Life in General
"Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine."
“Don’t criticize what you don’t understand, son. You never walked in that man’s shoes.”
"I ain't no saint, but I've tried never to do anything that would hurt my family or offend God...I figure all any kid needs is hope and the feeling he or she belongs. If I could do or say anything that would give some kid that feeling, I would believe I had contributed something to the world."
-Elvis commenting to a reporter, 1950's.
“When I was a child, ladies and gentlemen, I was a dreamer. I read comic books, and I was the hero of the comic book. I saw movies, and I was the hero in the movie. So every dream I ever dreamed has come true a hundred times...I learned very early in life that: ‘Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain't got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend - without a song.' So I keep singing a song. Goodnight. Thank you.”
-From his acceptance speech for the 1970 Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation Award. Given at a ceremony on January 16, 1971. (Elvis quotes from copyrighted material with lines from the song “Without a Song”.)
“...the image is one thing and the human being is another...it's very hard to live up to an image.”
-From the press conference prior to his record-breaking Madison Square Garden shows in New York City, 1972.
‘Til we meet you again, may God bless you. Adios.”
-Said in 1977 at the end of a concert during his last tour. Love & Girls
"I wouldn't call girls a hobby. It's a pastime."
“When you’re not in love, you are not alive.”
“If I slept with every woman the weekly magazines say I have, I would have been dead a long time ago.”
Fans
"I am deeply grateful to them, and I want them to know it"
January 1959
"I will always listen to their ideas just like I did before"
"I want to be able to thank them not only for buying my records and their loyalty to me, but also for their help they have given me in decinding what kind of songs to sing for in talking with them and reading their lettersI was able to get some idea of what they liked."
Concerts and Singing
"I've learned very early in life...without a song, the day would never end. Without a song, a man ain't got a friend. Without a song, the road would never bend, without a song. So I'll keep on singing the song."
"You have to put on a show for people in order to draw a crowd. If I just stood out there and sang and didn't move a muscle, then people would say, 'My goodness, I can stay home and listen to his records.' You have to give them a show."
“We do two shows a night for five weeks. A lotta times we'll go upstairs and sing until daylight - gospel songs. We grew up with it...It more or less puts your mind at ease. It does mine.”
Quote is from a 1972 taped interview used in MGM's documentary “Elvis on Tour”.
Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sorta do ‘em all together, I guess.”
-Elvis in 1956, talking about his way of moving on stage.
“A live concert to me is exciting because of all the electricity that is generated in the crowd and on stage. It's my favorite part of the business - live concerts.”
-Elvis at a press conference prior to his 1973 television special, “Elvis - Aloha from Hawaii, via Satellite”.
“I've never gotten over what they call stagefright. I go through it every show. I'm pretty concerned, I'm pretty much thinking about the show. I never get completely comfortable with it, and I don't let the people around me get comfortable with it, in that I remind them that it's a new crowd out there, it's a new audience, and they haven't seen us before. So it's got to be like the first time we go on.”
-From a 1972 taped interview used in MGM's documentary “Elvis on Tour”.
“The first time that I appeared on stage, it scared me to death. I really didn't know what all the yelling was about. I didn't realize that my body was moving. It's a natural thing to me. So to the manager backstage I said ‘What'd I do? What'd I do?' And he said “Whatever it is, go back and do it again'.”
-From a 1972 taped interview used in MGM's documentary “Elvis on Tour”.
“Man, I was tame compared to what they do now. Are you kidding? I didn't do anything but just jiggle.”
-From the press conference prior to his record-breaking Madison Square Garden shows in New York City, 1972. Movies
“I wasn't exactly a James Bond in Movies, but then no one ever asked Sean Connery to sing a song while dodging bullets.”
"I knew by heart all the dialogue of James Dean's films; I could watch "Rebel Without a Cause" a hundred times over. "
Money
“Money is meant to be spread around, the more happiness it helps create, the more it’s worth.”
Memphis Mafia
"This is my corporation which travels with me all the time. More than that, all these members of my corporation are my friends"
"I have no use for bodyguards, but I have a very special use for two highly trained certified public accountants. "
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Celebrities, politicians, media talk about Elvis
«Before Elvis, there was nothing.»
John Lennon
"My crushing ambition in life was to be as big as Elvis Presley."
John Lennon
“Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn’t been an Elvis, there wouldn’t have been the Beatles.”
John Lennon "The first concert I attended was an Elvis concert when I was eleven. Even at that age he made me realize the tremendous effect a performer could have on an audience."
Cher
“I don’t admire nobody but Elvis Presley. He was the sweetest most humble and nicest man you’d ever meet.”
Muhammad Ali
«That's my idol, Elvis Presley. If you went to my house, you'd see pictures all over of Elvis. He's just the greatest entertainer that ever lived. And I think it's because he had such presence. When Elvis walked into a room, Elvis Presley was in the fucking room. I don't give a fuck who was in the room with him, Bogart, Marilyn Monroe.»
Eddie Murphy
"I remember Elvis as a young man hanging around the Sun studios. Even then, I knew this kid had a tremendous talent. He was a dynamic young boy. His phraseology, his way of looking at a song, was as unique as Sinatra's. I was a tremendous fan, and had Elvis lived, there would have been no end to his inventiveness."
B.B. King
"I don't think there is a musician today that hasn't been affected by Elvis' music. His definitive years - 1954-57 - can only be described as rock's cornerstone. He was the original cool."
Brian Setzer
«A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man's music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis.»
Jackie Wilson
"His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac...It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people."
Frank Sinatra,
1950's
"There have been many accolades uttered about Elvis' talent and performances through the years, all of which I agree with wholeheartedly. I shall miss him dearly as a friend. He was a warm, considerate and generous man."
Frank Sinatra,
1977
I think he was the only other person I've spoken to that felt the same way about music as myself, as far as versatility is concerned. Because he loved ballads as well as rock 'n' roll, he loved gospel, he loved pop. And we would sit in his suite and talk about music, and he would have his vocal backing group, and we would sing, mostly. Jam. . .
Tom Jones
«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.»
President Jimmy Carter,
1977. His official statement following Elvis' death.
“You know, Bush is always comparing me to Elvis in sort of unflattering ways. I don't think Bush would have liked Elvis very much, and that's just another thing that's wrong with him.»
Bill Clinton
During the 1992 presidential campaign.
«There have been a lotta tough guys. There have been pretenders. And there have been contenders. But there is only one king.»
Bruce Springsteen
«...it was like he came along and whispered some dream in everybody's ear, and somehow we all dreamed it.»
Bruce Springsteen
“When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody; and nobody was going to be my boss...Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail.»
Bob Dylan
“...Time has a way of being very unkind to old records, but Elvis' keep getting better and better.»
Huey Lewis
«Elvis was the king. No doubt about it. People like myself, Mick Jagger and all the others only followed in his footsteps.»
Rod Stewart
«He was a unique artist - an original in an area of imitators.»
Mick Jagger
«This boy had everything. He had the looks, the moves, the manager, and the talent. And he didn't look like Mr. Ed like a lot of the rest of us did. In the way he looked, way he talked, way he acted - he really was different.»
Carl Perkins
«I wasn't just a fan, I was his brother. He said I was good and I said he was good; we never argued about that. Elvis was a hard worker, dedicated, and God loved him. Last time I saw him was at Graceland. We sang Old Blind Barnabus together, a gospel song. I love him and hope to see him in heaven. There'll never be another like that soul brother.“
James Brown
“He was the firstest with the mostest.»
Roy Orbison "Ask anyone. If it hadn't been for Elvis, I don't know where popular music would be. He was the one that started it all off, and he was definitely the start of it for me."
Elton John
“It was Scotty Moore’s guitar riff when he was doing the Steve Allen Show that got me into rock music. I’ve been an Elvis fan since I was a kid.”
Elton John
"It was Elvis that got me interested in music. I've been an Elvis fan since I was a kid."
Elton John
"He completely changed the way I felt about music. He combined everything that a star needs. Looks, charisma, talent and orginality"
Elton John
"On stage he encompassed everything..he was laughing at the world and he was laughing at himself, but at the same time he was dead serious"
Bruce Springsteen.
“My mother was watching the Ed Sullivan show, and Elvis came on. I went out and got a guitar right away, but I couldn’t play it, I was to small, but that was the start.”
Bruce Springsteen
"Elvis was a giant and influenced everyone in the business." Isaac Hayes
"Without Elvis, none of us could have made it"
Buddy Holly
“Elvis Presley is Probably the main founding father of rock music. He was an unheralded genius behind a new music that changed western civilization for all time.”
Peter Noone/Hermans Hermits
“Elvis was my Idol from the beginning and even today when I’m alone, I’ll often put on the King Creole album. He’s produced the most exciting pop music sounds of all time”
Cliff Richard
“I thought anyone who had been the centre of all that insanity for so long would have some of it rub off on him. But, after working in Change of Habit with him, I realised I’d never worked with more gentlemanly, kinder man. He’s gorgeous.”
Mary Tyler Moore
“Elvis is the greatest Blues singer in the world today.”
Joe Cocker
"He was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn't let black music through. He opened the door for black music."
Little Richard
"Elvis was the best, the most unique. He started the ball rolling. He deserves the recognition."
Jim Morrison
"I hope that nobody will ever forget how he influenced us all..he isn't just a historical phenomenon but rather something very lasting."
Roy Orbison
“Every time I felt low I just put on an Elvis record and I’d feel great.”
Paul McCartney
"He was good. He never had to take a back seat to anybody. I thought "Don't Be Cruel" was one of the greatest songs I ever heard."
Jerry Lee Lewis
"He was white, but he sang black."
Chet Atkins
"Black didn't have the airwaves. Elvis had. He delivered what he obtained beautifully."
Chuck Berry
"He had so much energy we had to sit up nights to wear him out so we could sleep." Scotty Moore
«...if any individual of our time can be said to have changed the world, Elvis Presley is the one. In his wake more than music is different. Nothing and no one looks or sounds the same. His music was the most liberating event of our era because it taught us new possibilities of feeling and perception, new modes of action and appearance, and because it reminded us not only of his greatness, but of our own potential.»
Greil Marcus
>From his book, Mystery Train.
«...At Sun Studio in Memphis Elvis Presley called to life what would soon be known as rock and roll with a voice that bore strains of the Grand Ole Opry and Beale Street, of country and the blues. At that moment, he ensured - instinctively, unknowingly - that pop music would never again be as simple as black and white.»
David Fricke
Rolling Stone, 1986
«It's always been my dream to come to Madison Square Garden and be the warm-up act for Elvis.»
Senator Al Gore
«Without preamble, the three-piece band cuts loose. In the spotlight, the lanky singer flails furious rhythms on his guitar, every now and then breaking a string. In a pivoting stance, his hips swing sensuously from side to side and his entire body takes on a frantic quiver, as if he had swallowed a jackhammer.»
Time Magazine,
May 15, 1956
"He had total love in his eyes when he performed. He was the total androgenous beauty. I would practice Elvis in front of the mirror when I was twelve or thirteen years old."
K.D. Lang
“I wanted to say to Elvis Presley and the country that this is a real decent, fine boy. “
Ed Sullivan
During Elvis' third appearance on his show,
January 6, 1957
«As the lad himself might say, cut my legs off and call me Shorty! Elvis Presley can act...Acting is his assignment in this shrewdly upholstered showcase, and he does it."
Howard Thompson
Review of King Creole
New York Times, 1958
«A Presley picture is the only sure thing in Hollywood.»
Hal Wallis
Producer of nine of Elvis' films.
«There is something magical about watching a man who has lost himself find his way back home...He sang with the kind of power people no longer expect from rock 'n'roll singers.»
John Landau
Review of Elvis, (1968 TV Special).
«There are several unbelievable things about Elvis, but the most incredible is his staying power in a world where meteoric careers fade like shooting stars.»
Newsweek, August 11, 1969
Review of Elvis' Las Vegas engagement.
«So what it boils down to was Elvis produced his own records. He came to the session, picked the songs, and if something in the arrangement was changed, he was the one to change it. Everything was worked out spontaneously. Nothing was really rehearsed. Many of the important decisions normally made previous to a recording session were made during the session. What it was was a look to the future. Today everybody makes records this way. Back then Elvis was the only one. He was the forerunner of everything that's record production these days. Consciously or unconsciously, everyone imitated him. People started doing what Elvis did.»
Bones Howe
Recording Engineer
As quoted in Jerry Hopkins' 1971 book, Elvis, A Biography.
“As a student of the martial arts, Elvis was one of the best. He was physically strong and his technique was excellent. Elvis was a master entertainer and a master showman, but he was also a Master Human Being. He demonstrated love and respect with sincerity and humility. Elvis taught me more than I taught him.” Master Rhee, Elvis' Sensey
“Everyone in rock ’n roll including myself was touched by Elvis ‘spirit,I was, and always will be a fan.”
Bryan Ferry
“Elvis was the consummate professional. He paid attention to detail and again contrary to popular belief, nothing slippes past him.”
Larry Schanpf, Director of Recording Operations
“I didn't like Elvis Presley before I went to work with him. I mean, I didn't know him. I just didn't like his music. I was into black music mostly and jazz so when I went to work for him on the first rehearsal I told my ex-wife, I don't think I'm going to do this gig, but I'm going to go down and check it out..see what's going on.' I came home that night and said, ‘you gotta come down and hear this guy tomorrow night.' She said, ‘you're kidding.'I said, ‘no, you got to come down and hear him.' She came down the next night to the rehearsal and she walked away a fan. It was that immediate. When I walked in and I heard him I said, Oh, oh, I believe that I've been missing something here!'” Jerry Scheff, Bass Guitarist
“Elvis was so generous you had to be careful around him. If you said you liked something he'd turn around and give it to you.” Glen D. Hardin, Pianist
“He never raised his voice in the fifteen years that we were around him. He absolutely had a super, super nice attitude. He was really an inspiration to me in that he never..people would come in and say things about him about what he couldn't do or should do, and if I had been the star I would have said, ‘I am doing this my way,' but you know, Elvis never said that. It's just unbelieveable..the attitude he took with so many different things. I couldn't believe that he never even raised his voice and got mad about something and stormed out.”..Gordon Stoker of The Jordanaires
With all the controversy about Elvis' drug-taking and his physical condition toward the end of his life, people often forget wath a tank he was. Nobody did what Elvis did in Las Vegas. Four weeks, seven days a wwek, two, sometimes three shows a night. An awesome schedule. But he did it. Those of us who were there now understand that the man was working himself to death. Literally…Lamar Fike, former member of the Elvis entourage |
