/usr/web/www.marshallindependent.com/wp-content/themes/coreV2/single.php
×

Lisa Marie’s death proves Elvis left a lasting legacy

It’s been a busy January at Graceland, as many hundreds have visited to pay respects to Lisa Marie Presley and her father the legendary Elvis.

Lisa Marie died Jan. 12 of cardiac arrest at the age of 54. Her unexpected death has put the Presley family in the worldwide spotlight even more than usual. It motivated me to play some Elvis music.

I own a cassette tape with a mix of early and newer Elvis songs. I also have two Elvis albums, one of his 1950s Golden Records and another from 1977 called “Moody Blue.”

The 1977 album, with a blue-colored record, was intended to signal a comeback for Elvis. “Moody Blue,” the title song, did very well on the pop charts. It became his best hit in almost a decade.

Then Elvis suddenly died. It shocked the world, ushering in a prolonged pop culture trend that included many Elvis impersonations, rumors that he was still alive, and thousands of Elvis sightings.

These continued well into the 1990s. Eventually things calmed down, but large crowds have continued to flock to Graceland all these years.

Events from the past month make me more interested in a Graceland visit. It’s definitely not a tourist trap. It’s more like a shrine.

The way Graceland has stood the test of time demonstrates how Elvis left a profound legacy to America and to the entire world.

My dad used to tell the story of how he visited my grandparents’ home in Ivanhoe in 1956 during his first year of teaching in Holdingford. Elvis music was playing at a volume that was fairly loud but soft enough for my grandparents to tolerate. His younger sister Mary had become a huge fan.

Millions of young rock ‘n’ roll enthusiasts identified with Elvis. He truly burst on the scene. He helped to make Memphis, Beele Street, and Sun Records world famous.

A group of young musicians started a trend, one that included Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and many others.

Elvis stood out more than anyone. He became known as a king. It was more than just being the king of rock ‘n’ roll. Fans simply called him The King.

It’s not easy to compare entertainers of different time periods. People such as George Gershwin and Glenn Miller also became world famous. It’s very possible, however, to say that Elvis became the greatest cultural legend of the 20th century.

Many authors, musicians and artists enjoy widespread popularity in their time period. They then fade into the history books, and develop a fan base composed mainly of people with a serious interest in the arts.

Elvis has not yet faded. He might go down in history like William Shakespeare or Mark Twain, where even in different centuries they remain household words.

It makes you wonder what’s next. Will there be a superstar in the 21st century who stands out in the world of entertainment? Will he or she inspire loyalty among different generations of fans?

We know that there will be plenty of famous people. Fascination with pop culture is still thriving in the digital age. Young people still want their icons, people who make an impact on the current cultural trends.

It’s harder to say whether at least one person will acquire the status of an Elvis. It’s not even certain what part of the entertainment media will produce such a person. We have an era with huge technological change, some of which is still in the formative stages.

Hopefully entertainment from the 20th century will in some ways remain in the spotlight. We know very little from the 18th century on back, only a small share of what entertained people. The 19th century is somewhat better remembered, and the 20th is still comparably recent.

It’s logical that as people acquired more leisure time they became more interested in sports, arts and culture. The trend is likely to continue. It might even accelerate.

It’s exciting to think of where we might be within our own lifetimes. There are stories destined to be told, songs that will be recorded and art that’s meant to be created.

There might even be at least one modern day king, someone who will transform pop culture on a level that Elvis as the leader of rock and roll did almost 70 years ago. Anything’s possible.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today