The Thirtieth Anniversary

PLEASE NOTE: NO SACRILEGE OR OFFENSE IS MEANT IN THE USE OF THIS IMAGE.

Today marks the thirtieth anniversary of Elvis' death. I am watching Jailhouse Rock on TCM and marveling at how handsome he was and at that undefinable something he had that made him so great. This film was made in '57 or '58, and unlike so many of Elvis' other film efforts, this one is actually something more than camp and sex appeal.

I put the anniversary on my classroom calendar with other dates in history at the end of June, and I thought then about the persistent love our culture has for Elvis despite the fact that he's been gone so long. Why has he lasted? Is it some sort of Marilyn Monroe thing, a pop figure who plays to the repetitive iconography of human religion? Is Elvis just another incarnation of an archetype that's repeated across cultures and time, or was he something unique?

Certainly today's pop icons fall far short of the kind of appeal and staying power he has. Most of them look like strutting and ridiculous boys instead. I can't imagine many if any of them ever becoming one tenth of what Elvis is in our culture. There are few figures more easily recognizable, whether it's the sultry gaze, the pompadour hairdo, or the spangled jumpsuit. Yet, despite the Vegas caricature, at the base of his popularity is something that none of the media mills have been able to reproduce or even imitate to any measurable degree. What is that? Can we put a finger on it, or is it something that transcends attempts to nail it down with words?

The film has just ended with Elvis singing "Young and Beautiful", which will always be one of my favorite songs from his catalog. His voice is so beautiful, the ending is a happy one with values rebalanced and love triumphant. It's a lovely confection.