Any Place Is Paradise - Elvis Presley - Elvis - 1956

People tend to think there are only two Elvis'...young rock-a-billy Elvis in his black leather coat, and old Vegas Elvis in his white sequined jump suit...but in reality Elvis contained multitudes. There was Country Elvis, Gospel Elvis, Soul Elvis, Beach Elvis, Army Elvis, Gay Elvis, Asian Elvis (okay, I'm making shit up)...but most striking of all, to me, is there was the Elvis who was not drastically different (in the music he made) than Dean Martin...it's so strange, with the benefit of hindsite, to see how little difference there was between the early rock and roll that parents got so upset about, and the very music that they were listening too.

Anyway, not a bad song.

Anyway You Want Me (That's How I Will Be) - Elvis Presley - The Sun Sessions - 2005 (Recorded 1953-4)

One of my ex-girlfriends had this great story about the time she visited Graceland. Apparently, there was a hard core WT Canadian family with a 7 or 8 year old son that she was stuck in the same tour group with. As the tour guide led them to the jungle room, she gestured at the giant ashtray in the center of the room and explained how Elvis had designed this himself and that the ashtray could accomodate up to 50 cigarettes at once.

The small boy was troubled by this, and asked his parents, presumably with an adorable gap toothed lisp, "Mommy, Daddy...did Elvis smoke?"

The father then took to a single knee and held his sons hand. He replied, without even a hint of a smirk, "Son, Elvis didn't smoke...he didn't drink...and he didn't do drugs, no matter what they say about him. Elvis was pure of heart and spirit. He was the king."

Parents are shameless, and people are very very strange...