Elvis Presley’s 90th birthday: How a swing of the hip changed the world

Before there were the Beatles, there was Elvis – the musician from Mississippi was the first global superstar of rock and pop music. But even a king starts small: Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 and grew up with the deep love of his parents, but in difficult financial circumstances. The proximity to the black population, despite the racial segregation laws, had a significant influence on the young Presley. He was not only passionate about African American fashion, but also gospel and blues music.

In June 1953, shortly after graduating from high school, Elvis used his first salary to record two ballads at Sam Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service recording studio as a birthday present for his beloved mother. The operator of the studio and the record label Sun Records immediately noticed Presley’s musical talent. He supported the young musician. In 1954, Elvis had his first hit with a reinterpretation of the blues number “That’s All Right” by Arthur Crudup (1905-1974). The new music genre, rockabilly, struck a chord, as evidenced by the overwhelming response and pre-orders that came in after the song was played on the radio for the first time. And people hadn’t even seen Elvis swing his hips yet.

Elvis’ stage presence made the hype perfect. His performance, which was perceived as erotic to obscene at the time, and the new style of music ensured that Elvis quickly got a record deal with the largest US record company RCA and became world famous. Deafeningly screaming fans and tumultuous scenes at his performances were the norm. His single “Heartbreak Hotel” was released in 1956 and dominated the pop, country and singles charts for weeks. It was just the first of many successes, followed by 17 more number one hits in the USA and a total of 69 albums. At that time, the saying “Elvis has left the building” came into being in an attempt to calm down hysterical fans after Elvis’ performances.

While the youth of the time crowned Elvis as “King” and the wild rock’n’roll culture rebelled against conservatism, parents stormed against the movement. Elvis was blamed for all sorts of things: miscegenation, juvenile delinquency, turning away from God and faith. Which only made him more famous. As a result, TV shows censored the man with the quiff by only filming the upper half of his body. Elvis also became successful as an actor. Feature films like “Jailhouse Rock – Rhythm Behind Bars” fueled the hype even further.

In 1958 there was some calm in the Elvis controversy. For image reasons, the pop star completed his military service – 17 months of which were in Germany. While the world continued to celebrate Elvis as King with cleverly released singles, the 24-year-old met Priscilla Beaulieu (79), the love of his life, ten years his junior in Bad Nauheim, Hesse. But despite his wicked reputation, sex initially played no role in the relationship between the two, as Priscilla explained in the wake of the release of Sofia Coppola’s (53) biopic “Priscilla”: “He was very friendly, very gentle, very loving. But he also respected them The fact that I was only 14 years old. We were more connected through our heads and our thoughts and that was our relationship.”

Elvis brought Priscilla to his “Graceland” estate in Memphis and married her as soon as she came of age, as he had promised her parents. Their daughter Lisa Marie Presley (1968-2023) was born a year later. But the rock star’s lifestyle of traveling and drug abuse made life difficult for Priscilla. The marriage ended in a highly publicized divorce in 1973.

Elvis continued to be productive and gave large concerts. Among other things, he played the first ever concert by a solo artist that was broadcast to numerous countries around the world and constantly found a home in Las Vegas with sold-out events.

He also met new women. Ginger Alden (68) was the last woman at his side. But even she couldn’t stop the King from destroying his health. His fiancée’s attempts to make him aware of his unhealthy behavior failed due to his outbursts of anger. In 2015, Alden said, “Let’s put it this way: He was the biggest rock star on the planet since he was a teenager. He wasn’t used to people contradicting him.” Elvis often spent his last years in seclusion in Graceland, where he struggled with health and psychological problems. The gun nut let his dissatisfaction out unfiltered – if he didn’t like a program on television, he was said to have simply shot at the television, Alden recalled.

On August 16, 1977, Elvis died of heart failure at the age of just 42. The news of his death sparked sadness around the world and finally made him a myth. “The death of Elvis Presley robs our country of a part of itself,” said then US President Jimmy Carter (1924-2024) in a statement on the pop star’s death.

The fascination for Elvis Presley is unbroken. His songs are still heard around the world four decades after his death. Graceland is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the USA. Films like Baz Luhrmann’s (62) “Elvis” (2022) and Coppola’s “Priscilla” continue to deal with the timeless cult figure. Las Vegas, where he gave his legendary shows in the 1970s, still celebrates him today with countless impersonators and Elvis weddings. His musical influence continues to be felt. Artists such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen (75) have cited him as one of their greatest inspirations. Elvis never left the building.