How often do you hear Elvis’ name brought up in pop culture. It’s basically never.
1 Like
I think it comes up pretty often. Elvis impersonators in Vegas is a common trope as is the idea that Elvis faked his death and is hanging out with Bigfoot.
Ask your parents generation how often his name came up. He also appeared in 31 movies. Seems big.
Can you name someone who died 45 years ago and is brought up often in pop culture?
John Lennon
Do you think that would also be the case if Paul McCartney hadn’t gone on to stay relevant even today?
Yes, for sure. Lennon is as legit an icon as Elvis.
Elvis impersonators are a kitsch joke not relevant pop culture.
Counterpoint: Without Elvis impersonators, this beautiful gem of Americana never would have happened.
2 Likes
I am not sure how much that is true because I suspect there has been a lot of : McCartney in the media → the Beatles were great → Lennon was also great
I will just concede that Lennon would have been relevant to a similar degree either way because I can’t prove otherwise. The point is that this is hard to relevant for decades after your death.
Can you maybe explain what constitutes pop culture relevancy? Maybe we are talking past each in this thread.
I’m not sure what your point is. You seem to be complaining that everybody knows who Elvis is but nobody ever talks about him. Do you think he’s too famous or not famous enough?
My wife is watching reruns of Bing Bang Theory (sad to admit) and I just heard the words “Elvis Impersonator” come from the TV while I was enjoying Dread Zep lol.
1 Like
Looking at people who died in the 70s you could include Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Keith Moon, Sid Vicious, Jim Morrison.
Icons? - maybe/maybe not - but certainly still part of pop culture imo.
If you’re not in an emotional place to listen now maybe you will be someday.
My HS social studies teacher was all hot to go see him in Vegas and even though I thought she was so old I couldn’t see the point bc I thought he was a joke. It was his last performance, iirc. I get it now.
1 Like
I had to look up who Keith Moon is.
Anyway, I have wondered recently if today’s teenagers even know who the Beatles or Paul McCartney are. How often would the conversation go like this:
Me: says the name Paul McCartney
Teenager: Who?
Me: He was in the Beatles.
Teenager: Who?
And even if they have heard of the Beatles, could they name songs? Do they realize just how big they have been or are they just some guys their grandparents listened to?
Many of them only because their school choir did a Beatles song or two.
Another feature of Elvis’s perhaps outsized status is the sexuality. America still has terrible attitudes and culture around sex today, but it was way, way worse for white teenage women in the 1950s. Elvis was sexual in a way that was previously unseen and not tolerated in American main stream pop culture. He was a spark and white teenage America was a sexually suppressed tinder box soaked with kerosene.
3 Likes
Everyone knows him but his music is never played, never referenced and never relevant in a discussion of music history.
He seems to be famous for his silly style but people act like he is famous for his music.
I hear at least as many Elvis songs as Lennon songs on the radio.
All those people are way more relevant than Elvis.