The “Elvis”
Phenomenon
FROM R.C.SPROUL Aug 16, 2017
Today is the 40th anniversary
of the death of Elvis Presley. This post from our archives was written by R.C. Sproul and published in the
Decemeber 1977 issue of Tabletalk magazine.
Shockwaves of grief went around
the world when Rudolf Valentino succumbed to appendicitis at the pinnacle of
his career.
Morbid fascination and a cultic
spirit followed the death of James Dean in a flaming crash of his sports car on
an isolated country road.
Roses and a shroud of mystery
followed Marilyn Monroe to her crypt in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Already the casual moves of the
crooner, Bing Crosby, are missed.
But the reactions to the death
of these notables is but a whimper compared to the bizarre and ghoulish
atmosphere that has followed the demise of Elvis Presley.
Never in the history of our
nation has so much emotion been released following the death of an entertainer.
Will Rogers, Judy Garland, John
Garfield, Jayne Mansfield, Jack Benny, and Louis Armstrong will be remembered
as legends.
But Elvis is in a class by himself.
His legend is already titanic.
T.V. specials, portraits in watercolor and oil,
special-release record albums, tee shirts, drinking mugs, and other marketing
gimmicks are reaping an exploiter’s dream. Why?
Why Elvis rather than Crosby
or Garland?
If ever a star’s rise to fame
was meteoric it was Elvis’. His appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in the
fifties made him an overnight sensation.
The initial response to the
uninhibited gyrations of the droopy-eyed singer from Memphis was one of frenzy.
Parents were furious and kids
were ecstatic over the new barbarian of rock and roll.
On his second appearance with
Sullivan the cameras were restricted to shooting Elvis from the waist up.
Still his magic was not
eclipsed. With instant fame and fortune Elvis traded in his panel-truck for two
or three cadillacs, one gold and one pink.
He spent money like a fellow
who just won the state lottery.
Variety magazine described the new “Elvis” rage as
a teenage fad and predicted a very short tenure to this “flash in the pan.”
But twenty-five years later the
pan was still flashing. Why?
Before his last concert newsmen
interviewed Elvis fans asking them why they were so devoted to their hero.
The
responses were strange but revealing. “He
is so kind to his mother.” “I love his eyes.” “He is so honest.”
Can we really explain the
phenomenon of Elvis in terms of his love for his mother?
If we can, then what in the
world will happen when Liberace dies?
Other
performers have had exciting eyes. But the last quote is significant. “He is so honest.”
When people responded to Elvis’
honesty what were they talking about?
Elvis Presley was not George
Washington. His reputation for honesty was not built upon what he said.
His “honesty” was not a matter
of words but of personal openness.
Elvis’ stage presence was
unique.
Even Sinatra, the master of
timing, could learn something from Elvis.
Elvis was always in deep, open
communication with his audience.
All of the barriers that
isolate a performer from his audience were shattered by his personal magnetism.
Elvis let people in. He gave
himself with intensity to every person in the theater. That is the most costly
thing a performer can do.
Elvis Presley had what people
call “warmth.”
With his fame and fortune he
never quit being a truck driver. He never became sophisticated.
His music was simple and
earthy.
Though his early pelvic
gyrations were considered shocking, his music never became vulgar.
He sang of intense emotions but
not illicit ones.
His music spoke of
“tenderness,” “cruelty,” puppy dogs, and blue Suede shoes.
His “warmth” made him appear
open. His openness made him appear honest.
Elvis Presley was not a saint
to be imitated by every Christian.
But his personal warmth was a
quality we can learn from.
Sociologists tell us that we
are living in such a highly mobilized society that our lives have become
anonymous.
We suffer from cultural
frigidity. We deal with the grocer and the gas station attendant in impersonal
ways.
The loss of close community
relationships has created a crisis of coldness.
Elvis broke through that
coldness with a costly gift of warmth.
At the end he was drained and
confused.
His public had come close to
emptying him. His reservoir of warmth was running dry.
But his followers will not let
him die. They want more warmth. I wonder where they will find it . . .
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