Best songs about Elvis not by Elvis

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Elvis Presley's Sad Anniversary

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uploaded by CJaye

Another August meant another anniversary marking the untimely demise of the King of Rock & Roll.

Fans, new and old, flocked to Graceland as usual Sunday and disc jockeys across the nation used the day as an excuse to break out the usual, if not tired, Elvis Presley hits.

There's only so much uniqueness that can be bestowed upon the 32nd anniversary of someone taking the stage at the ultimate performer's lounge in the sky. With that in mind, forget about Hound Dog, Suspicious Minds and In the Ghetto.

Presenting the five best songs not by Elvis that include an Elvis appearance:

•  Calling Elvis, Dire Straits: Genius Mark Knopfler and bandmates send up a fitting tribute to Mr. Presley with a catchy tune that references some of Elvis' biggest hits including Heartbreak Hotel, Love Me Tender and Don't Be Cruel.
•  Going to Graceland, Dead Milkmen: The punk band croon about visiting the place Elvis died as a chance to pick up girls, buy some Love Me Tender Shampoo and checking out the Jungle Room.
• Black Velvet, Alannah Myles: In 1989, Myles scored a big hit with this song about Elvis written by two Canadians. This song also mentions Love Me Tender, which seems to be a recurring theme in songs about the King.  
• Walking in Memphis, Marc Cohn: Two years after Black Velvet, Cohn released this little diddy imagining following Elvis' ghost to Graceland. The song has numerous interpretations and is Cohn's best known song.

And now for the best song about Elvis, not by Elvis:

• Man on the Moon, R.E.M.: This 1992 song is actually about deceased entertainer Andy Kaufman and imagines Kaufman hanging out with Elvis, whom Kaufman often imitated, in some netherplace (Heaven? Tahiti?). Many believe Kaufman faked his death and the song may imply that Elvis and Andy are pulling one over on everyone, just as NASA did with the fake moon landing.  The Elvis reference is brief but conjures up an enjoyable little scenario of Elvis and Andy gobbling up peanut butter and banana sandwiches while pulling pranks on some dead celebrities. That's my take anyway. What's yours?  

Videos

R_E_M - Man On The Moon

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sourced by J Jermaine

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  Created by J Jermaine | add comment

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  Created by J Jermaine | add comment