Elvis Presley was a superstar and continues to be one posthumously. The artist had a vision of himself as a musician and pursued that path throughout his life. To outsiders, Elvis was "repeatedly dismissed as vulgar, incompetent, and a bad influence," (The olling Stone Encyclopedia of ock & oll, Simon & Schuster, 2001). However, the personality of Elvis is far more complicated than what fan magazines and superficial reports can say.
Elvis was a twin, but his twin died at birth. His childhood was typical, in that it was far from perfect. Elvis's father Vernon was in prison on counts of forgery for three years. Elvis's mother Gladys struggled to support her son in an environment that did not support the creative or economic growth of females. Elvis and his mother lived with extended family members for years. Music remained a continual presence throughout Elvis's life. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee…...

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References

Bayles, M. (2007). Remembering Elvis. Serious Popcorn. Retrieved online:  http://www.artsjournal.com/popcorn/2007/09/remembering_elvis.html 

Kakutani, M. (1996). Elvis, from the kitchen to the couch. The New York Times. Retrieved online:  http://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/20/books/elvis-from-the-kitchen-to-the-couch.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm 

The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001). Retrieved online:  http://www.rollingstone.com /music/artists/elvis-presley/biography#ixzz266HUJFU1

Rosenberg, J. (n.d.). Elvis Presley. About.com. Retrieved online:  http://history1900s.about.com/od/entertainers/a/elvis.htm

Elvis Presley
Subject's development: Erikson and Kohlberg

Elvis Presley is something of a paradox as an entertainer. He became famous for singing traditionally 'black' songs although he was a white singer with a largely white fan base. He began young and poor and died after creating 'Graceland,' his residence which became a museum to excess as well as his legacy as a singer. He also died overweight and addicted to prescription drugs. How did such a famous star come so far, yet fall so swiftly, a victim of his own success?

According to Erik Erikson's theory of human stages of development, all "people experience a conflict that serves as a turning point in development" at every stage (Cherry, 2012, Erikson's psychosocial stages of development). For example, during the first stage of development, that of trust vs. mistrust, the infant learns to trust his or her caregivers or develops a sense of fear and…...

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References

Cherry, Kendra. (2012). Erikson's psychosocial stages of development. About.com. Retrieved:

 http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial_3.htm 

Cherry, Kendra. (2012). Hierarchy of needs. About.com. Retrieved:

 http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds.htm

Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley is probably one of the most renowned individuals in the history of mankind and an analysis of his life and his behavior from a psychological point-of-view is certainly intriguing. His complex character is one of the main reasons for which this paper discusses in regard to his persona. Going through a series of both positive and negative episodes in a short amount of time can significantly influence one's attitudes regarding the masses and concerning society as a whole. The fact that Elvis' search for fame eventually reflected negatively on his thinking can be observed by looking at the last years of his life.

Elvis loved music from an early age and did not hesitate to get involved in a series of environments where it was present during his childhood. hile most people associate his character with partying hard as a teenager, the truth is that he worked…...

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Works cited:

Filler, Jenna, "Elvis Presley: The King of Rock 'N' Roll," Retrieved August 28, 2012, from the PennState Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/jhf5032/Elvis.html

McLeod, Saul, "Psychology Perspectives," Retrieved August 28, 2012, from the SimplyPsychology Website:  http://www.simplypsychology.org/perspective.html

A female hands him a cloth handkerchief to wipe his sweaty face. During "What Know My Love" sweat is heavier than ever on his face; it is getting into his eyes. Clearly an Elvis concert, no matter whether it is in a small or large venue like the one he is singing in today, is more like a lounge act that a rock show. it's Elvis, after all, and that's what the audience came to see and hear.
"You're a fantastic audience," he says before beginning "Fever," the song Peggy Lee made famous well before Elvis came on the scene. When he sings "Fever" in the point of high emphasis he jerks his hips to the screams of the crowd. At one point he dips down, bending his knees to more screams. "Welcome to My World" is a familiar song and the audience responds and Elvis teases a female with…...

Conclusion

Culture critic David Marsh once wrote that "Unless you understand that Elvis Presley was more than anything a spiritual leader of our generation, there's really no way to assess his importance, much less the meaning of his music."20 Indeed, Presley's impact on American culture was transformative. Through his music, which was heavily influenced by black artists, he exposed white America to a new group of performers. By testing social boundaries, such as how America perceived sexuality, he helped liberalize American culture, opening new avenues of discussion and launching new trends in music. Finally, through Presley's tragic and untimely death, he allowed America to have a serious discussion on the perils of drug abuse and how, if left unchecked, it can threaten the lives of even our most valued national treasures.

End Notes

1. "National Historic Landmark Nomination: Graceland" [eb page] (2004, Accessed Dec. 3, 2006); available at http://www.cr.nps.gov/nhl/designations/samples/tn/Graceland.pdf;Internet.

2. Ibid.

3. "Selling Elvis to…...

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Works Cited

1950s Rock - Creating a Revolution." No date. Available from Internet at   Accessed Dec. 3, 2006.http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/1950srock.htm ,

Are You Lonesome Tonight." 1998. Time, August 11, 1998. Available from Internet at   Accessed Dec. 3, 2006.http://www.time.com/time/community/transcripts/chattr081198.html ,

Cunningham, Brent. 2001. "The Elvis Obsession." Columbia Journalism Review, Nov./Dec. 2001. Available from Internet,   Accessed Dec. 2, 2006.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3613/is_200111/ai_n8981370 ,

David Stanley Talks to EIN." 2003. Available from Internet at   Accessed Dec. 2, 2006.http://www.elvisinfonet.com/stanley.html ,

Moreover, younger and more cutting edge artists like the Beatles had assumed creative control over their output, in defiance of their managers and record executives. However, Elvis' manager Colonel Thomas Parker "insisted that Presley stick with this winning formula. Years later Parker's shortsightedness would result in his turning down Barbara Streisand's offer to have Presley co-star with her the 1974 remake of a Star Is Born" ("Elvis Presley," 1996, History of Rock).
Elvis returned to the concert stage triumphantly in the 1970s, but his abilities began to be affected by his long-standing prescription drug abuse. "Personally downhearted and professionally unchallenged, Elvis grew bored and disaffected. By 1976, no one could get Elvis Presley into the recording studio despite his contractual obligations. Any enthusiasm he had previously mustered for recording was lost by the mid-1970s. hether it was the end result of a downward spiral or because he thought the drugs…...

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Works Cited

Doll, Susan. "Elvis Presley." How Stuff Works. Retrieved 10 Aug 2008 at Elvis Presley." (1996). History of Rock. Retrieved 10 Aug 2008 at  http://www.history-of-rock.com/elvis_presley.htm 

Maxwell, Thomas Nelson. (1998). 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. New York: Thomas

Nelson.

Legend and Legacy of Elvis Presley
The "King of ock and oll" may be dead from obesity and substance abuse, but his legend and legacy lives on in Graceland and among the legions of his fans that remain loyal to his memory and his music today. Indeed, Elvis music and memorabilia remain popular today, and visitors still flock to his home and burial place in Memphis, Tennessee. Therefore, the meteoric career of Elvis Presley provides an interesting case study concerning the positive and negative effects of fortune and fame on an otherwise-ordinary individual. To this end, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature to develop a case study of the life of Elvis Presley, including an analysis of his life from various psychological perspectives and theories, an interpretation of his behavior and what shaped and explained his life story, and a discussion concerning those aspects of his behavior that…...

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References

Bertrand, M.T. (2007, Fall). Elvis Presley and the politics of popular memory. Southern Cultures, 13(3), 62-64.

Biederman, D.E., Pierson, E.P., Silfen, M.E., Glasser, J.A., Berry, R.C. & Sobel, L.S. (1996).

Law and business of the entertainment industries. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

Chadwick, V. (1997). In search of Elvis: Music, race, art, religion. Boulder, CO: Westview

Elvis as Icon
Elvis Presley as a Cultural Icon

Elvis Presley as Cultural Icon

Elvis Presley is one of the most well-known figures in rock-and-roll music history. Not only was Elvis a rock-and-roll icon, but he was also the epitome of the American Dream. He came from humble beginnings and skyrocketed to the top of the music charts. Despite being called perform his military duty in 1958, about a year after he launched his film career, Elvis, with the help of his promoter, was able to maintain his status as a music icon and idol.

Some of the most significant events in Elvis's career were his performances on broadcast television. Prior to appearing on television, many of his fans had only heard his songs on the radio. Edwin Richison, an Elvis fan, contends, "It wasn't until Elvis appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show that I got to place a face with the music. hat…...

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Works Cited

Doss, Erika. Elvis Culture: Fans, Faith, & Image. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1999. Print.

Rock & Roll Generation: Teen Life in the 50s. Time Life Books, Alexandria, VA: 1998. Print.

Elvis Presley's Impact On Popular Music Culture
From the time Elvis recorded "That's All Right Mamma" for Sun Records in 1953, to his subsequent and astonishing rise to fame, he reinvented the concept of rock star and has made a bigger impact on popular music culture than any other act. That is saying a lot considering that the Beatles and Rolling Stones and others like Elton John have been huge superstars. But looking at Elvis's impact, as this paper does, one can clearly see that he influenced all of those acts. John Lennon said that "Before Elvis there was nothing…" and the Rolling Stones have indicated that they were hugely influenced by Elvis.

hen Elvis Started Out -- Launching his Career as a Musical Rebel and Icon

An article in the Public Broadcasting Service (KCET) website ("Culture Shock / Music and Dance) traces Elvis's early beginnings in terms of how he became so…...

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Works Cited

History Today. (2007). Elvis: Rock 'n' Roll's reluctant rebel. Retrieved December 24, 2013,]

From  http://www.historytoday.com .

Kemp, M. (2001). Elvis Presley Biography. Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 24, 2013, from  http://www.rollingstone.com .

Public Broadcast Service. (1956). Elvis Presley, 1956. KCET. Retrieved December 24, 2013,

Blues music however did not cross racial lines, with the majority of famous blues musicians still residing in New Orleans and various other well-known black music entertainment venues of the South.
Gospel music has been an African-American church tradition with influences from traditional African music and especially prevalent during the slavery era. Later (most likely because of those particular ignominious associations and all they implied, especially in the South) gospel music was strongly discouraged within mainstream society and actively suppressed.

Similarly, blues music represented a blending of black musical traditions with a centuries-long history originating from the earliest days of American slavery. Sammy Davis Jr. And Nat King Cole, were and remain today among the best-known of early black entertainers within the (then) up-and-coming rock 'n roll genre of the 1940's. Each had a heavy influence upon Elvis himself.

Obviously, though, the blending of Southern musical traditions was not started by Elvis…...

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Works Cited

African-American Musical Tradition." (June 9, 1998). Retrieved January 9, 2007,

From:  http://www.questia.com/html .

Bane, Michael. White Boy Singin' the Blues: The Black Roots of White Rock.

Harmondsworth, Eng: Penguin, 1982.

This lesson sparked one of the most influential times in American History: the 1960's. The dream of freedom from preconceived notions of happiness, which Elvis first whispered in the ear of everybody in 1956, had by the late 1960's, blossomed into a time of social awareness. By creating a new way to live the "American Dream," no longer constrained by the traditions of the materialistic past, American society has been expanded, allowing for all Americans to pursue their own version of the "American Dream." And this version can still be the traditional version if one likes, but it can also be whatever makes one happy, without the restrictions of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or anything else.

Recently the United States of America has been rocked to its financial core by the actions of many in the financial community. Hard working Americans will once again suffer the consequences of economic calamity…...

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One of the leading figures of the younger generation in the 1950's was Elvis Presley, but he stood out against the traditional view of the "American Dream" and offered the young people of America a different "dream." Instead of simply "playing along," sacrificing family and personal fulfillment for financial success and the ability to purchase new things, Elvis showed that one can refuse to "play along," and that real self-fulfillment comes, not from the accumulation of material goods, but from more personal sources. One can refuse to be a cog in the machine of industry, refuse to put the accumulation of material things above personal fulfillment. Happiness is not found in the latest gadget but in one's heart.

This lesson sparked one of the most influential times in American History: the 1960's. The dream of freedom from preconceived notions of happiness, which Elvis first whispered in the ear of everybody in 1956, had by the late 1960's, blossomed into a time of social awareness. By creating a new way to live the "American Dream," no longer constrained by the traditions of the materialistic past, American society has been expanded, allowing for all Americans to pursue their own version of the "American Dream." And this version can still be the traditional version if one likes, but it can also be whatever makes one happy, without the restrictions of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or anything else.

Recently the United States of America has been rocked to its financial core by the actions of many in the financial community. Hard working Americans will once again suffer the consequences of economic calamity caused by the greed and materialism of those in positions of financial authority. It would seem that the traditional "American Dream" of the accumulation of wealth and material goods has once again raised its head to the detriment of the nation. The lessons of Elvis Presley and the 1960's had been forgotten in the rush of financial success of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Americans had forgotten that the accumulation of wealth was not a way to achieve personal fulfillment, and that real happiness came from within. As The U.S. struggles to rebuild itself economically, Americans must remember the "dream" that Elvis whispered in everybody's ear, they must remember to seek personal fulfillment through personal endeavors, not gaining wealth at any cost.

Although a gifted and musician and a good and generous human being, by the end of his life, Elvis had fallen into a state of decadence, drunkenness, drug abuse, and physical deterioration (Simon 1995). He had become bitterly disappointed with his life, and almost a desolate person, for celebrity had basically chewed up his creativity (Simon 1995). Guralnick writes that there were "fewer and fewer opportunities to withdraw from the spotlight, and with the ability to withdraw from the spotlight," he simply became consumed by it (Simon 1995). Ironically, his manager Colonel Tom Parker understood that one of the key elements of success is limited exposure of the artist to the public, otherwise, the public will consume the artist. However, Guralnick notes, "I think that it didn't work for Elvis because his creative outlet were not maintained at the same time...but some one like Bob Dylan, for instance, sought to…...

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Works Cited

All About Elvis. (2006). Retrieved November 06, 2006 at  http://www.elvis.com/elvisology/bio/elvis_overview.asp 

Doss, Erika. (2002 June 22). Believing in Elvis: popular piety in a material culture.

Business Perspectives. Retrieved November 06, 2006 from HighBeam Research Library.

O'Meara, Kelly Patricia. (2002 August 05). The crown still fits: nearly a quarter after the untimely death of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley still haunts Americans - including the new generation -- seeking roots in a genuine American culture.

" Instead of those key lines, a wailing voice suggests that prayers for love remain unfulfilled. The stress is on lines like "without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own," as the wailing replaces the rest of the chorus. Elvis's "Blue Moon" is truly blue: filled with sadness and unfulfilled longing.
To enhance the reinvented theme of "Blue Moon," the instrumentation is stark. Throughout the recording, only a bass and a drum accompany the sultry vocals. The effect is clearly and intentionally that of a cowboy song. The rhythm of both the bass and the drums convey a horse gently trotting, carrying its lone rider through the Wild West. Evoking cowboy movies and mystique is one way the arrangement sends a far different message than the one that ogers and Hart had intended. In Elvis's version, the male vocalist is totally, utterly alone. He is a lone…...

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References

"Blue Moon: by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart" (n.d.). Retrieved online: http://www.lorenzhart.org/moonsng.htm

"Blue Moon." Versions performed by the Boswell Sisters, Elvis Presley, and Rod Stewart. Retrieved on YouTube.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLfTjTLnVIo&feature=player_embedded

The most successful of these hybrid strategies is David Beckham and his approach to making sure his personality pervades the messages over and above the positioning points in any IMC campaign. The undercurrents of social networking require a very high level of interactivity, transparency that leads to trust. In the case of athletes and celebrities who battle gossip media, the best defense is a good offense. Taking the initiates as Derek Jeter has done to stop rumors of conflict with Alex odriguez, Carmelo Anthony discussing his DUI in blogs, and the hybrid strategy of Beckham all show how critical it is for celebrities to keep these broader Web 2.0 dynamics in mind when communicating with their fans. Table 1 in the Appendix provides an overview of Web 2.0 applications.
eferences

Josh Bernoff, Charlene Li. 2008. Harnessing the Power of the Oh-So-Social Web. MIT Sloan Management eview 49, no. 3 (April 1):…...

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References

Josh Bernoff, Charlene Li. 2008. Harnessing the Power of the Oh-So-Social Web. MIT Sloan Management Review 49, no. 3 (April 1): 36-42.   (Accessed April 3, 2008).http://www.proquest.com 

Mary Cowlett (2000, January). Toeing the line of truth in spinworld. Marketing, 23-24. Retrieved May 1, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 48129845).

Von Johnson, Pierre Ollivier. (2007). The Technology Disruption Conundrum. Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, 12(1), 215-221. Retrieved May 3, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1288122001).

Ava Lawler, Gabrielle Tourelle. (2002). Public relations: The integrated communication tool in the launch of a new software operating system -- a case study. Journal of Communication Management, 7(2), 156-159. Retrieved May 1, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 264328051).

Article Analysis

The author presents three specific theories to explain Cockburn's success at being so versatile. First, he suggests that it is a function of the artist's "persona" but even the author acknowledges the hackneyed metaphor. Second, he suggests that Cockburn's lyrics lend themselves better to a dual appreciation. Third, he suggests that Cockburn's choice of contemporary rather than classical (i.e. biblical) themes and imagery are responsible. Those two explanations seem to make more sense than the author's first explanation. Moreover, it is largely the author's subjective opinion about how successfully other performers may have appealed to respective audiences in different genres. Ultimately, the article may do more to confirm that both beauty and artistic appreciation may be equally in the eye of the beholder than it does to establish a fundamental difference between Cockburn and some of his predecessors.

eference

Smucker, T. "You've Never Seen Everything," Commonwealth, Vol.…...

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Reference

Smucker, T. "You've Never Seen Everything," Commonwealth, Vol. 131, No. 4; (2004):