Lauren Christiansen

Ms. Thorn
5/20/15
Music 1010
Elvis Presley
At 4:45 A.M. on the morning of January 8, 1935 in a two bedroom house in Tupelo,
Mississippi, Elvis Presley was born. He grew up with a humble beginning with his parents doing
the best they could to provide for their son. While he was still young he learned to work hard
because of his working class family in which everyone needed to take a turn. Even back then
music was a big part of his life. He went to the Assembly of God church while living in
Mississippi. Elvis learned how to sing gospel music there and found his love for singing. He also
grew up listening to country music on the radio and the bluesmen in his neighborhood. Even
from his small age he was surrounded by music and his love of music emerged.
In 1948 at the age of thirteen, Elvis moved to Memphis, Tennessee with his parents.
There he lived and learned more about music. In 1953 at the age of eighteen, he recorded a demo
of the song My happiness and Thats when your heart began. Later that year he teamed up
with guitarist Scott Moore and bass player Billy Black in order to impress Sun Records producer
Sam Philips. At first Sam was not impressed by what they came up with. So the band took a
break. During that time Elvis sung a sped up version of the song Thats all right which was
something that was new and different from what artist were doing at that time. When Scott and
Billy heard it, they soon joined in and took it back to Sam Philips. Sam was impressed with what
they came up with. This later became Elviss first hit song that kick started his career.
After his first hit Thats all right, he was offered a contract with RCA records in 1955.
After he was signed he started to record more songs including Heartbreak Hotel and Hound

Dog which both became big hits. The rhythms and tones were different than what people were
used to and became a hit with the younger generation. Elvis became more popular with the youth
when he began dancing suggestively by moving his hips in a suggestive way. After he began this
type of dancing, the crowd and his fans became increasingly wild. There were girls fainting,
fighting to get to him, crying, and rushing the stage. The older generation was dismayed that
someone would have the nerve to defy all the unwritten rules of society and dance like that in
public. The younger generations adoration of Elvis sparked a rebellion as they raced to his
concerts despite their parents protesting.
In 1957, Elvis received his draft notice for the U.S. army. Elvis could have gotten out of
joining the army because of his popularity at the time but instead he joined the army in March of
1958. He was sent to Fort Chaffee in Arkansas. He was sent to active serves in Germany. Two
years later he was released from the Army and continued his music career. While In Germany, he
met a young girl named Priscilla Beaulieu, and later married her on May 1, 1967. During this
time Elvis continued to make movies. Some were a big hit but others not so much. In 1968, Elvis
and his wife Priscilla had a little girl they named Lisa Marie. Elvis and Priscillas marriage
started to fall apart not long after, and they were divorced in 1973. Elvis soon started to struggle
with his prescription drug addiction and a weight problem. He was soon hospitalized for drug
related problems.
On August 17, 1977 at the age of 42 Elvis passed away due to heart failure. Police later
came to the conclusion that his heart failure was because of his prescription medication
addiction. He was buried on his Graceland mansion property near his mother and grandmothers
graves. In 1986, he was added into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1998 he was put in
the Country Hall of Fame and later in the Gospel Hall of Fame. Even in society today everyone

has heard of the famous Elvis Presley and knows his most popular songs. Elvis left his mark on
the music world and it will not be forgotten anytime soon.
When Elvis Presley took the stage in 1955 he changed the rules of music. He sang music
no one had ever heard before, and it became a hit when Elviss started singing his sped up
version of Thats all right. Elvis was not the first to sing this Rock n Role style, but he sang
his own version of it. He spread it across America and made it popular to the younger generation.
Society began to change in the 1950s, and Elvis was a significant part of it. The younger
generation began to see themselves as separate and different from the older generation. They
began to rebel against social normalitys and Elvis was a perfect way to do that.
Elvis not only had an impact on the music culture, but he had an impact on the overall
culture of the time. He was the star you looked up to and wanted to be. Due to the economy
doing well at the time, the younger generation grew up without feeling the obligation to help
support their families and instead learned that they could spend the money on themselves and
what they wanted. The music, movie, and commercial industries took advantage of that. Elvis
was the rock star you wanted to grow up to be, and since you wanted to be like him you wore
what he wore and bought what he bought.
Though Elvis was not the first to sing Rock n Role, he did change it. He blended
different music styles together no one had ever thought would fit. His first hit was Thats all
right which added speed to the song and had country roots. His style changed as he recorded
and released his next big hits, Jailhouse rock and Hound dog, both of which had harder beats
and less of a country feel to it. Elvis was known for blending these styles. When listening to his
music you will notice a variety of musical styles. When comparing two of his songs they have
their similarities with the music structure but are still blended with different styles. For example,

if you compare Heartbreak Hotel to Are you Lonesome Tonight? you will see that while one
is a fast pace, the other draws out the words and has a slow rhythm.
One of his most popular songs Jailhouse Rock has a specific form to it. It has a four
line verse then the three line chorus in that order five times over. The music that constructs the
verses is the same four notes repeated until it goes into the chorus. When it reaches the chorus it
picks up a different, catchier, faster rhythm. It repeats the same melody throughout the chorus
then makes its way back to the original rhythm for the verses. In this song you focus on Elviss
voice because the music makes you feel comfortable by keeping the same pattern and rhythm.
This song uses repetition to make it easy to follow and comfortable for the listener.
Are you lonesome tonight? was different from any music Elvis had sung before. He
starts off singing for the first two verses then makes his way into talking rhythmically for the
next three verses and ends singing while repeating two lines at the end of the second paragraph.
The phrase Are you lonesome tonight? is repeated throughout the whole song letting you know
what it is called and what the song is about. It brings you back to the original theme of the song
and informs you of what you should be listening too. It is different from Elviss Jailhouse rock
in the way that it does not have a specific chorus that it repeats. The organization of the song is
less formal. Throughout the song the music keeps the same rhythm thereby taking your attention
away from it and making you focus on Elviss voice and the lyrics. In addition to the repeating
music you also hear repeating ohhhhhs. At the end of this song the music plays one final
ending note, letting you know that the song is over. The voices also take on a different rhythm at
the end of the song which makes it feel complete.

Hound Dog is another one of Elviss big hits. Right at the start of this song Elvis starts
singing. This song consists of 3 lines that in the A and B section are each repeated twice in a row,
and the B section just stays at the one line. When put together it is in this form A, B, C, B
repeated twice then makes its way into C, B, A, B. This song has an easy melody that people can
follow and recognize quickly. The song is easy to remember and catchy enough to snare peoples
attention. The music repeats itself throughout the whole song except when Elvis is not speaking
and it speeds up and adds twists to the rhythm.
Dont be Cruel hit the top charts when it came out. The song begins with a musical
intro and like most Elvis songs the music starts to play itself into the background to put more
focus on Elvis. Throughout the song there is a repeating line Dont be cruel to a heart thats
true that brings you back to the main focus of the song. You hear voices accompanying the
instruments in the background in a steady rhythm until you get to the line Dont be cruel to a
heart thats true and the voices change to let you know that the line is important. They stay
changed for the next two lines after and then slowly blend back into the background, leaving
your attention on Elviss voice yet again.
Thats all right was Elviss first big hit. He blended a rock style with a country style. It
was introducing people to music they have never heard before. Throughout the song the music
stays the same with Elviss voice making the song interesting. He repeats lines to make sure the
masses understand what the song is talking about. The music again stays the same and blends
into the background so Elviss voice is your main focus.
Viva Las Vegas was one of Elvis Presleys most successful movies. The music is a fast
pace rhythm that repeats itself throughout the whole song and only varies when Viva Las
Vegas is sung. The song lyrics refer to something people can relate to, so people listen to the

song and his voice. There is no chorus in this song only a line repeated throughout it. When the
line is repeated you hear a change in music indicating that it is important to the song. You also
hear background voices come in when this line is repeated. As the song ends complexity is added
to it in order to make the music seem like it was like that the whole song when you were paying
attention to Elviss voice. The music changes at the end of the song to have a resolution so it
would not feel incomplete. It makes you comfortable to have those resolutions because of how
often they are used in popular music today.
Finally, in the song Heartbreak hotel we see an organization to the song. It has four
verses with the chorus after each one. The music again blends into the background but it changes
from the verses melody to the chorus melody. When singing the chorus the music is much slower
and is in minor which makes you feel sad or lonely. Then it switches to major, making you feel
excited about the music and what is happening. After Elvis has sung all four verses he goes back
and repeats the second verse and ends with the chorus. The music then changes in the end to
make the song feel resolved.
When analyzing seven of Elviss songs I started to notice how similar they are. They may
have different lyrics and a different melody to the music, but they still have a lot in common.
Each song has the music blend into the background so you focus on Elviss voice instead of the
music. The music usually repeats the same melody over and over only changing for the chorus.
The music makes you feel comfortable because it is keeping the same rhythm, so you listen to
Elvis because his voice is changing and the music is not changing. They also repeat lines in the
song in order to bring you back to what it is about. I learned a lot about popular music that I did
not know before. I learned about what makes a song good no matter how simple the song might
be. Listening to this music again makes me feel excited because I dont listen to it often. It is

exciting music that is just fun. Its something you can play and relate to at points. This project
allowed me to analyze what it means to have a popular song.

Bibliography
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Biography.com, 1996. Web. 28 May 2015, http://biography.elvis.com.au/

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"Elvis Presley." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2001. Web. 28 May 2015.
<http://www.biography.com/people/elvis-presley-9446466#death-and-legacy>.
"Elvis Presley's Musical Influence on America." - For Dummies. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015.
<http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/elvis-presleys-musical-influence-on-america.html>.