Friday, January 8, 2010

Elvis Presley's 75th Birthday

Elvis Presley would be turning 75 years old today, were he still alive. Would he have aged gracefully, had he lived to 75 years of age? Would he still be producing music, as many of his contemporaries continue(d) to do? I understand the importance of Elvis's role in the landscape of popular music, much as I understand the influence Nirvana had on my generation. Unlike most people from my age group, I never fell under the spell of Nirvana. Elvis was never at the top of my list, either.
I can appreciate some of the music in his discography, but I was always more of a Beatles girl, personally.
Maybe it would have been different if I was a teenager during this era. The entire family circled around the television set, watching Elvis swing his hips wildly, ushering in a new way of thinking and creating controversy and a generational divide.
Few artists in the history of music have captured the hearts and minds of individuals quite like Elvis did. Like with any long forgotten memory, however, we often choose to remember only the best parts.
Happy Birthday, Elvis. It's shame we'll never know what could have been.

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