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Elvis Presley

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The image is one thing and the human being is another... it's very hard to live up to an image.

Elvis Aaron Presley (8 January 1935 – 16 August 1977) was an American singer, musician, and actor. Popularly known by his first name as "Elvis," as "The King of Rock and Roll" or simply as "The King," he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century.

Quotes by Elvis Presley

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The first time that I appeared on stage, it scared me to death. I really didn't know what all the yelling was about. I didn't realize that my body was moving. It's a natural thing to me.
So to the manager backstage I said, "What'd I do? What'd I do?" And he said, "Whatever it is, go back and do it again."
I'm never going to sing another song I don't believe in. I'm never going to make another picture I don't believe in.
Rock and roll is a music, and why should a music contribute to ... juvenile delinquency? If people are going to be juvenile delinquents, they're going to be delinquents if they hear ... Mother Goose rhymes.
  • I like Brando's acting ... and James Dean ... and Richard Widmark. Quite a few of 'em I like.
    • When asked to name his favorite male actors, in "Elvis Exclusive Interview" with Ray Green in Little Rock, Arkansas (16 May 1956), as published in Elvis — Word for Word : What He Said, Exactly As He Said It (1999)
  • I'd like to thank the Jaycees for electing me as one of their outstanding young men. When I was a child, ladies and gentlemen, I was a dreamer. I read comic books, and I was the hero of the comic book. I saw movies, and I was the hero in the movie. So every dream I ever dreamed, has come true a hundred times... And these gentlemen over here, these are the type of people who care, they're dedicated, and they realize that it is possible that they might be building the kingdom of heaven, it's not just too far fetched, from reality. I'd like to say that I learned very early in life that "Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain't got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend — without a song." So I keep singing a song. Goodnight. Thank you.
    • Acceptance speech for the 1970 Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation Award (16 January 1971), published in Elvis — Word for Word: What He Said, Exactly As He Said It (1999) by Jerry Osborne, p. 188
  • The first time that I appeared on stage, it scared me to death. I really didn't know what all the yelling was about. I didn't realize that my body was moving. It's a natural thing to me. So to the manager backstage I said, "What'd I do? What'd I do?" And he said, "Whatever it is, go back and do it again."
    • Interview (March/April 1972), as quoted in The Leading Men of MGM (2006) by Jane Ellen Wayne, p. 406
  • The image is one thing and the human being is another...it's very hard to live up to an image.
    • Press conference (June 1972),also quoted in Elvis Culture: Fans, Faith, & Image (1999) by Erika Lee Doss, p. 218
  • Man, I was tame compared to what they do now. Are you kidding? I didn't do anything but just jiggle.
    • Press conference (June 1972) as quoted in Elvis — Word for Word: What He Said, Exactly As He Said It (1999), by Jerry Osborne, p. 208
  • A live concert to me is exciting because of all the electricity that is generated in the crowd and on stage. It's my favorite part of the business — live concerts.
    • Press conference (5 September 1972), also quoted in Paranoia & Power: Fear & Fame of Entertainment Icons (2007) by Gene N Landrum, p. 60
  • 'To judge a man by his weakest link or deed is like judging the power of the ocean by one wave.'
    • Handwriten message on Elvis' King James -Bible
  • 'There is a season for everything, patience will reward you and reveal all answers to your questions.'
  • 'Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't going away.'
    • Another handwriten message on Elvis' King James -Bible [2] No proof it was handwritten with this link.
  • What honey? What is that? It's a sign, I can't see it, wait a minute. Oh, thank you darlin', thank you very much. Oh, thank you. The thought is beautiful dear, and I love you for it, but I, I haven't been caught up in this thing and I can't accept this kingship thing because to me there's only one, which is Christ.
    • September 30, 1974. South Bend, IN. Notre Dame Ath Center. [3] [4]
  • I had too much praise, too much flattery and fawning over and I needed to remember who I was, where I came from. One time I called a relative in Tupelo. It was Christmas and they were havin' dinner. I asked, 'What?' and she was kind of quiet, then said, 'Meat loaf.' I was shocked as we'd had the best, you know, turkey, ham, steak, everything. She said that it was near the first and they'd run out of money so they just had meat loaf. It hurt me. and so, I ate meat loaf for about eight months, every night, so I'd remember where I came from and to remind me of how many people were unable to have what I did. It was kind of a penance...

Song lyrics

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Don't be cruel to a heart that's true.
  • Baby, if I made you mad
    For something I might have said,
    Please, let's forget the past,
    The future looks bright ahead.
    Don't be cruel to a heart that's true.
    I don't want no other love,
    Baby it's just you I'm thinking of.
  • When you looked into my eyes,
    I stood there like I was hyp-notized.
    You sent a feeling to my spine,
    A feeling warm and smooth and fine.
    But all I could do were stand there paralyzed.
    When we kissed, ooh what a thrill,
    You took my hand and, ooh baby, what a chill.
    I felt like grabbin' you real tight,
    Squeeze and squeeze with all my might.
    But all I could do were stand there paralyzed.
    • Paralyzed, written by Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley (1956)
  • A well I bless my soul
    What's wrong with me?
    I'm itching like a man on a fuzzy tree.
    My friends say I'm actin' wild as a bug.
    I'm in love,
    I'm all shook up.
    Mm mm oh, oh, yeah, yeah!
    • All Shook Up, written by Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley (1957)
  • Sweetheart we're alone
    And you are mine.
    Let's make this night a night to remember.
    Don't make our love a cold dying ember,
    For with the dawn, you'll be gone.

Disputed

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  • Love me tender, love me sweet,
    Never let me go.
    • "Love Me Tender" (1956), the lyrics of this song are credited to Presley and co-writer Vera Matson, but were primarily written by Matson's husband, Ken Darby, who when asked why he credited his wife as co-writer with Presley replied "Because she didn't write it either."

Misattributed

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"Tracing that rumored racial slur to its source was like running a gopher to earth", Jet wrote. Some said Presley had said it in in Boston, which Elvis had never visited. Some said it was on Edward Murrow's on which Elvis had never appeared. Jet sent Louie Robinson to the set of Jailhouse Rock "When asked if he ever made the remark, Mississippi-born Elvis declared: 'I never said anything like that, and people who know me know I wouldn't have said it.'"

Quotes about Elvis Presley

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See Quotes about Elvis Presley

See also

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Wikipedia
Wikipedia
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Commons
Commons
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