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75 Reasons We (Still) Love Elvis

By the time of his death at age 42, the King of Rock 'n' Roll had already lived several lifetimes – hick, god, self-parody, phoenix. The thought of a living Elvis, who turned 75 years old on Jan. 8, 2010, is almost too much to bear. Would the hair still be jet black? Would he have been a surprise guest on the season premiere of 'The Biggest Loser'? Would he still be singing 'Do the Clam'? We love him because he was transcendent, and we love him because he was, like the rest of us, imperfect. More than 30 years after his shocking death, we're still counting the ways.

75. The pink 'n' green lettering on the cover of his debut album, paid tribute to on the Clash's 'London Calling'

74. Nickname: "The Memphis Flash"

73. Singing from the diaphragm on 'Blue Christmas': "Uh-Ah'll-uh-have-a-huh buh-lue..."

72. 'Don't Be Cruel'

71. Shaking hands with Nixon

70. This performance, weeks before he died:

69. "I don't care what they say -- it ain't nasty" (on the uproar over his gyrations).

68. Vernon and Gladys

67. Scotty Moore and Bill Black, hanging on for dear life

66. The guy who booked the 'Louisiana Hayride' requesting "that black boy with the funny name"

65. Dated Wanda Jackson

64. The NBA's Memphis Grizzlies' blue suede sneakers

63. The Jordanaires

62. This early New York Times review: "His phrasing, if it can be called that, consists of the stereotyped variations that go with a beginner's aria in a bathtub."

61. Singing to a basset hound

60. The 'Jailhouse Rock' dance number

59. Black belt in karate

58. 'Burning Love'

57. Luka Bloom's version of 'Can't Help Falling in Love'

56. Dwight Yoakam's version of 'Little Sister'

55. Memorized 'Monty Python' sketches

54. Dexter Romweber, bastard son

53. Peter Guralnick's hefty two-volume biography

52. Bobbie Ann Mason's brief 'Penguin Lives' bio

51. Draft status: 1A

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118 Comments

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jeri S.

My comment is to all the idiots who had their day, critizing Elvis.

Come on Elvis Lovers, lets keep Elvis alive in our hearts and mind. I was (10) when I first heard Elvis and sixteen when I first saw him.
And, if Elvis did have black blood in him that is good because his traits and black singers traits are the same and they are all great singers. Elvis, Happy Birthday to you and I. May our memories of you never go away. Ignore the other people sending negative words of THE KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We ALL have some black in us. I will always miss him

May 14 2010 at 8:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Can Balkan TR

I am 28 and from Istanbul Turkey. Show me one person even after 32 years of his death, still big as he was in his prime. No one!!!ELV1S was THE FIRST AND THE BIGGEST. Elvis is the top of the list always and known around the world by his first name and that's enough. Happy Birtday Elvis. We love you with all our hearts.

February 01 2010 at 2:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jo Sherer

in 1956, I was a senior in high school, I worked as a blue girl at the hospital. I bought all Elvis's records. My Dad said he would not be around in a year. I said "Oh but Daddy, He is changing music. He will go down in history. My favorite songs were "Don't be Cruel' 'Loving you' jand I want you, I need you and I love you'

January 11 2010 at 6:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mary

I Remember Elvis as a teen and his first Movie Love Me Tender.I thought my Goodness why are all these Girls going crazy over this Guy. compared to John Derek who was sooo Handsome. but later on when he went into the service and did Blue Hawaii, old shep at some time and Teddy Bear, also Blue Christmas.he also sang Gospel.what a Voice. I can;t Believe he put down the african americans because he used to sing with them to learn their habits and ways.not on stage but he was poor and he hung with the african american poor.he copied their gestures in movements and some voice i read somewhere.their will only be one Elvis,Micheal Jackson al Jolsen.Bing Crosby and Dennis Day and Jeanette Mc Donald=Nelson Eddy. and their all singing in Heaven.

January 11 2010 at 11:47 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kelly Brown

Elvis is not a king. He took music from the real kings such Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, and many more African- American musicians who were not allowed to shine like they shouldve because of their race. Its so sad.

January 11 2010 at 9:06 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Kelly Brown's comment
CARLY

Lucky for them Elvis embraced their music!! or who would have ever heard of them? He helped many black artists.

January 11 2010 at 3:05 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jacqui4elvis

My response to Kelly Brown and others who try and say that Elvis took music from black americans, please look into historical archives rather than heresay, and you will find that Elvis did not steal music from black singers/musicians, but grew up with a love of ALL types of music, and was greatly influenced by many different types of music and artists. Lets not forget Elvis was brought up in an area called 'Shakerag', a black/white community in Tupelo, Mississippi a poor area of the town, it was poverty like we today could not imagine. He was greatly welcomed into all the Black churches, congregations and communities he lived close by to and surrounded by. Infact he was so greatly influenced by the black singers that when his first record was played in 1954 on radio listeners thought he was BLACK. So come on, Elvis doesnt deserve this kind of comment. I bet Kelly you are only in your teens or twenties and know nothing of music through the decades and how social behaviour dictated the way of life before Elvis broke the boundaries to enable the integration of both black and white, he opened so many doors for artists of all kinds.

jacqui

January 11 2010 at 3:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
brent

we all come the the first too people on earth and that is Adam & eve. Lets all stop talking about hate because that's something that God did not teach us to do and that is to hate each other.

January 11 2010 at 7:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Will

Elvis sucks

January 11 2010 at 7:46 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
brent

Elvis is the king of rock-n-roll that is true but it was blacks that founded rock-n-roll.I like to thank Elvis for what he did for rock-n-roll.

January 11 2010 at 7:41 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Belinda

Elvis,. is still the number one singer in all of the music intertainers,I remenber I was 11 yrs. old we had no t.v. I slipped over to my next door neighbors and whatched elvis on t.v through her window he is the greatest singer that ever was and is yet to come,Happy Birthday Elvis!!!

January 11 2010 at 7:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
R.

I have Elvis's complete music catalog times 3. I always bought 1 copy to play. one copy to play later. and one copy to never open. There was music, then there was Elvis. Never be another.

January 11 2010 at 7:16 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply