Elvis Presley, aka "The King", began his musical career in 1954. Born to Vernon and Gladys Presley, he spent his life being influenced by pop and country music from his time, gospel music from church, and R&B from his teenage years. There were a few factors that brought Presley fame. one of which being his passion for music. His passion was visible during performances and interviews which allowed fans to see his charismatic side. Presley brought African-American music to the forefront, making it accessible for white audiences. African-American sound was shared even during a time of segregation because of Elvis Presley.
Examples of Elvis Presley
This first example is titled "Hound Dog" originally written by Jerry Leiber in in 1952, however; Elvis Presley preformed it in 1956 giving it the rock and roll sound that we know it to be today. This song was originally in the form of a 12 bar blues with a steady tempo. There's a steady beat from the drums except during transitions between verses and choruses where there's a drum roll. The bass walks a pretty steady line throughout the song. I've attached the original version of this song below, this song was originally wrote for a female singer. The original is much slower and softer in comparison to Presley's rock and roll version. It's crazy how different they sound!
Here is another song that Elvis Presley made his own... "Can't Help Falling in Love". This song is closely linked to Presley even though he didn't write it. While this song was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss. Unlike the song above The King was the original singer for this song and it was a major factor into his gain to fame. This song is based off of a French song "Plaisir d’amour” and is fairly slow since it is a ballad. Elvis Presley's strong vocals are very prominent in this song as it portrays the heartache of falling in love when you shouldn't. Most assume that this is a song about loving love, being hopelessly in love... Based on the website Words and Music and Stories "some critics assert it should not be considered the triumph of romantic music, a happy song celebrating love, but a song of defeat, and grieving, which is seen from the very first lines of the song, where there is a warning from wise people not to fall in love impulsively. On the contrary, the singer cannot help becoming infatuated, seemingly against his own wishes."
Elvis Presley's affect
As much as The King is a beloved musician.. not everyone loved his works. In reference to the song "Hound Dog" American Songwriter said that "...neither Leiber or Stoller liked it, as it diluted the meaning of the song." There was a completely different meaning of this song adn when the original singer sang, the message was loud and clear. The way that she sang it.. "Big Mama sang it like cracking a whip, with feverish anger. Nobody mistook its meaning after hearing the way she sang it." (American Songwriter) An interview between Ray Charles and Bob Costas revealed that people didn't always love Presley's spin on African- American music. “He was doing our kind of music,” Charles said. “So what the hell am I supposed to get so excited about?” (Vanity Fair). While, Presley did spread that genre of music around, note eveyrone was a fan of how he accomplished that. Aside from that, The King is known for his looks, charisma, and his voice. I enjoy listening to his upbeat music like "Hound Dog" and hearing the fullness in his voice in songs like "Can't Help Falling in Love". His modernization of genres like Folk and Country have certainly change the music industry for the greater.
I love Elvis Presley. His smooth vocals always has my grandma and me turning up the volume to appreciate it.
ReplyDelete