Elvis Presley is considered to be the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll (undisputed in my opinion), but is his influence lost on the youth of today? Most people under the age of 30 think of Elvis as a cartoonish, lip-curling, pantsuit-wearing person who died on a toilet. Elvis died seven years before I was born; however, his impact is not lost on me.
On April 16, 1956, my grandmother and her friends, all teenagers at the time, saw Elvis Presley perform live at the Memorial Coliseum in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas. They were chaperoned by a mother of one of the girls, and on the ride home, after witnessing Elvis’ hip-shaking renditions, the girls asked her: “But Mrs. Campbell, how on earth are you going to go home to Mr. Campbell after seeing a man like Elvis?” Apparently, Mrs. Campbell softly giggled, kept her eyes on the road and replied: “Well, girls, it sure isn’t going to be easy!”
At the time, Elvis’ gyrations on stage were foreign and scandalous, but they were nothing compared to what you see kids doing today. Nonetheless, the present generation is so far from understanding how instumental Elvis was to bringing about change—not just to our culture, but to things we consider liberties, like dancing. Elvis was instrumental in pushing both racial and social boundaries, both with his music and his stage presence. Although he gained monumental success, he was also held accountable for allegedly tarnishing the youth at the time. Even as an overnight success, the road wasn’t always easy for him.
In 2009, my grandmother took me to Graceland—a first for both of us. It was a wonderful trip; however, at 24 years old, I was one of the youngest people there. In this day and age, apparently, Elvis just isn’t considered “cool.” My generation doesn’t want to learn about him or understand his legacy.
While watching the Grammys this past weekend, I noticed one performance in particular that appealed to me. Bruno Mars, one of the most talented breakout singer/songwriters of recent years, gave a riveting throwback performance of his 60s-inspired hit song “Runaway Baby.” Mars and his band were outfitted in black and gold metallic tuxedos, performing on a Vegas-esque brightly lit stage, with “Bruno Mars” written above them. Mars wore his hair in a 50s pompadour and shook his legs and moved his feet in a way that made little girls scream with delight. Sound familiar?
So, what were we witnessing here? I know what I saw, but did the youngsters even pick up on the nuances of Mars’ throwback performance? Probably not. (Mars even paid homage to the late James Brown.) Young girls confess their undying love to Mars on their blogs and Twitter pages, but it’s doubtful they even understand the correlation or significance of his Grammy performance.
Mars credits a wide array of musical genres as influences, which shows in his songwriting and performances, but one of his greatest influences was Elvis. Not only that, but as a young boy in Hawaii, Mars used to perform as an Elvis impersonator. Other influences include Little Richard and Michael Jackson, which is apparent when watching his Grammy performance. (wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Mars)
Combine these influences with his dancing ability, his incredible voice and versatility, and you have a recipe for success. Mars’ Grammy performance inadvertently appealed (in many different ways) to a wide demographic of viewers, male and female, young and old. His Grammy performance was old school yet current—it was impossible NOT to enjoy watching him. He had that energy and appeal of someone we know as “Elvis.”
Let's hope that Bruno Mars makes old school cool again so our generation doesn’t wind up being remembered for “artists” like Nicki Minaj.
Watch Bruno Mars’ Grammy Performance of “Runaway Baby” and decide for yourself: bit.ly/RunawayBaby-BrunoMars