What makes Elvis still the King, 30 years on

Elvis Presley died on 16 August 1977. This year marks the 30th anniversary of his death. Elvis was the man accredited with being the King of Rock 'n' Roll, and was one of the pioneers of the American music industry. He was a cultural legend from his 1950s image as the handsome singer right through his 1970s image as the Las Vegas performer, and he is still revered by fans worldwide. News reports from all over the world have followed how Elvis' fans commemorate his memory through all-night vigils, tribute concerts, and visits to his burial site in Graceland, his private estate in Memphis, Tennessee. I read on www.bbcnews.com that droves of British tourists went to Graceland to pay their respects. Most fans waited hours on end in long queues to see his burial site, and did not even seem to mind the 'heat wave' that Memphis has been witnessing (Heat wave, is of course, a relative term. We in Kuwait go to work in a 45-degree C weather, whereas the folks in Memphis burn from temperatures ranging from a mere 28 to 35 degrees C)!

Ironically, news on Elvis still makes it to the headlines, despite the many years that have passed since he himself was a headline maker. I once read a report on how his personal handgun, a black 9 mm Smith & Wesson, was stolen from a display case in the 'Elvis after Dark' museum in Graceland. It was later found in a portable toilet by a janitor and was returned to the police. In other related news, Elvis' only child, Lisa Marie Presley, has re-released her father's 1969 hit song, 'In the Ghetto' lending her own voice to it. The proceeds from the sales will be used to rebuild shelters for the homeless in New Orleans, a city which has still not fully recovered from the aftermath of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. When a deceased entertainer still makes headlines, still generates record sales revenues still enjoys worldwide popularity years after his death, it truly means that he is a legend. Many singers have come, died and gone, but the King still lives on.

I believe that what makes Elvis the King is the ability of his music to effectively transcend permeability among fans from different ages and nationalities. His songs float from the blues to romantic ballads to songs on social concerns. The distinctness of his voice is unmatched. Even his charming Southern drawl is unsurpassed. It is never 'uncool' to listen to Elvis. In my teenage days, I had this huge Elvis poster in my bedroom. I have his greatest hit CDs. In fact, he is the only musician that all my family members agree on. Let's face it, I come from an Arab family that has its own taste in music, both Middle Eastern and Western: I like jazz and soul, one of my brothers likes hip-hop, the other likes Euro-trash techno, the little one likes pop, my sister likes folksy songs, and my husband likes classic 70s rock and Iggy Pop - that is, if you call the noise that Iggy Pop makes, 'music!' We never agree on what constitutes good music, except for classic Elvis songs. If any Kuwaiti families, most of whose members were born well after the death of Elvis, can agree on how good Elvis was, then it is a surefire testament to the late singer as the true King of Rock 'n' Roll. So, over this weekend, go ahead and listen to your favorite Elvis classics on CDs, if not to relive his memory, then to just enjoy the music. There ain't never gonna be no king like the King of Rock 'n' Roll.

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