An Original Hound Dog: Elvis Presley's Worldview

Born in Mississippi on January 8, 1935, Elvis Presley was the only child and surviving identical twin born to parents who lived just above the poverty line. As a kid, he stuttered, was occasionally bullied and known as a “well-mannered, quiet child,” despite being “different” and unusually close to his mother.

His early memory originates on October 3, 1945, at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show Singing Contest, where Elvis wins $5.00 and a free ticket to all the rides at the fair for his rendition of “Old Shep.” He remembers winning fifth place (some sources say second place) in spite of wearing glasses and having no music.

Despite his success, however, and before the natural high he feels for being chosen a winner has come to an end, Elvis is painfully reminded of his own even greater value to his mother, who unabashedly whips him in front of everyone the same day for “[going on] one of the rides." Thus, we find juxtaposed with Elvis's joy of winning the pain of embarrassment for having taken a risk, or perhaps for having strayed too far from the mother ship.

In truth, his mother’s unrelenting love and authority trump any reward he receives at any time in his life. As history records, Elvis was more faithful to his mother than to any other woman he ever knew. He may as well be saying in his early recollection, “My mother keeps me on track. She is always looking after me.” Indeed, after she dies, there is no one to keep him in line for exactly the same “caring” reason. According to those in a position to know, Elvis’s long-time manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker, also looked after Elvis, but he did so primarily to insure Parker's own exceedingly lucrative financial success.

As a teen, Elvis was characterized as “a sad, shy, not especially attractive boy,” unlikely to win any prizes for his guitar playing. He was often made fun of as a “trashy” kind of kid, playing “trashy, hillbilly music.” Other school mates, however, would beg him to sing, but he was evidently too shy to perform. Even after graduation, he scarcely spent a night away from home, yet in his relatively short life, he gained world-wide praise and recognition that endures today, more than thirty years after his death.

To put Elvis Presley’s incredible notoriety in a curiously modern day perspective, we can easily Google Elvis Presley and compare the "results" to other iconic male singer celebrities. “Elvis Presley” receives a whooping 29,900,000 hits on Google versus 3,290,000 for “The Beatles;" 5,870,000 for “Mick Jagger;" and 18,700,000 for “Frank Sinatra.”

Interestingly, and without conscious awareness of it, most fans will recognize, when identified, a certain underlying quality readily demonstrated only by Elvis.

Elvis Presley had the unique ability to project an aura of suffering. It has been suggested, in fact, that without the ambience of suffering , Elvis Presley would have been just another singer. Throughout his life, he seemed to be distracted by something lost, missing, tragic, or unfulfilled, thus presenting to his wide-ranging audience a captivating study in contrasts, not unlike the contrast of joy and pain found in his early memory. Whether it was the loss of something – such as a twin brother, perhaps, or a father’s guidance and strength, for example, or whether it was little more than the ability to appear as the in-need-of-care-bad-boy some women find so irresistible, Presley remained a study in contrasts throughout his career.

He was a white man popularizing black music; a gentle man whose appearance expressed a defiance never matched by his demeanor, as well as a mediocre (at best) actor whose 31 movies made obscene amounts of money regardless the quality of the script or the talent of the lead actor. In addition, he was an incredibly handsome figure with obvious talent, though he never mustered the self-confidence to match his gifts...a paradoxically endearing quality in itself, some might suggest.

As Paul F. Campos, law professor, journalist, and author, has written: “The Elvis cult touches on so many nerves of American popular culture: the ascent of a working class boy from the most obscure backwater to international fame and fortune; the white man with soul of black music in his voice; the performer whose music tied together the main strands of American folk music – country, rhythm and blues, and gospel; and perhaps most compellingly for a weight-obsessed nation, the sexiest man in America’s gradual transformation into a fat, sweating parody of his former self, straining the bounds of a jewel-encrusted bodysuit on a Las Vegas stage. The images of fat Elvis and thin Elvis live together in the popular imagination.”

Thus, we have but one correct choice for Elvis Presley’s worldview: I did it my way. "I stood up there on that stage and just sang - wearing glasses and having no music. . . but I won anyway."

Furthermore, my style of music is unique, but I’m popular anyway. I can’t act, but my movies make big money regardless. I don’t travel, but I’m popular all around the world. I can’t read music, but I originated my own brand of singing just the same. I’m overweight and unhealthy, but woman find me irresistible nonetheless. I have obvious talent, but I’m painfully insecure. And, of course, I am sought after and hounded by throngs of people, but I am never able to rid myself of the loneliness I feel, no matter who I'm with or what I do.

So, I do it my way, because there is no other person even close to being like me; no other singer celebrity with whom I can share my experiences and know full well we are living in the same world. I do it my way, because that is who I am: special, different, sacrificed to my fame, and forever suffering. . . because it feels. . . oh so right.

Love Me Tender...


(I Did It) My Way!