Korean Job Discussion Forums

Woland · Joined: 10 May 2006 Location: Seoul

The 39th anniversary of Elvis' death was the 16th. Time to think about the best song about the King or referring to him in some way. The items in the poll are ones I thought of off the top of my head. There's a lot more. For a list of 232 of them, go here:

http://www.mixedup.com/elvissongs.htm

My fave is Warren Zevon's Porcelain Monkey, which not only captures the glory and the pathos of the man, but shows off Zevon's writing ability:

He was an accident waiting to happen
Most accidents happen at home
Maybe he should've gone out more often
Maybe he should've answered the phone

Hip-shakin' shoutin' in gold lame'
That's how he earned his regal sobriquet
Then he threw it all away
For a porcelain monkey

He threw it away for a porcelain monkey
Gave it all up for a figurine
He traded it in for a night in Las Vegas
And his face on velveteen

From a shotgun shack singing Pentecostal hymns
Through the wrought iron gates to the TV room
He had a little world, it was smaller than your hand
It's a rockabilly ride from the glitter to the gloom

Left behind by the latest trends
Eating fried chicken with his regicidal friends
That's how the story ends
With a porcelain monkey

He threw it away for a porcelain monkey
Gave it all up for a figurine
He traded it in for a night in Las Vegas
And his face on velveteen

Hip-shakin' shoutin' in gold lame'
That's how he earned his regal sobriquet
Then he threw it all away
For a porcelain monkey

He threw it away for a porcelain monkey
Gave it all up for a figurine
He traded it in for a night in Las Vegas
And his face on velveteen

I heard a folk duo in Chicago once do a song about Elvis going into military service with the chorus, "Pvt. Presley's just a soldier; Hold your pictures, please; No questions 'bout the man's profession before." I haven't been able to find any reference to it anywhere. Anybody know it?

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Probably not the best, but Kate Bush's single from last year,
"King of the Mountain"
A) is excellent, and
B) is about Elvis.

http://www.katebush.com/video/king_of_the_mountain/

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4qu-DKi_30

huck · Joined: 19 Jan 2003

Marc Cohn..."Walking in Memphis"

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

anjucat · Joined: 26 Jul 2005

I'm still partial to the Forgotten Rebels' song, "Elvis is Dead." Mojo Nixon's "Elvis is Everywhere" is quite nice as well. What a lovely topic...

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

When I think of 'tribute songs',
Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said" and ABC's "When Smokey sings" always spring to mind- superb tributes to 60's Soul/RnB.
Was Not Was' "I Feel Better (than James Brown)" deserves honourable mention.

SirFink · Joined: 05 Mar 2006

You forgot:

U2's "Elvis Presley and America"
Gillian Welch's "Elvis Presley Blues"

Both great songs.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

khyber · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Compunction Junction

tiger fancini · Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Location: Testicles for Eyes

Living Colour - Elvis is Dead

Tabloids scream
Elvis seen at a shopping mall
Thats the kind of talk
That makes my stomach crawl

Picture a zombie elvis
In a tacky white jump suit
Just imagine a rotting elvis
Shopping for fresh fruit

You cant cause

Chorus:
Elvis is dead
Elvis is dead
Elvis is dead
Elvis is dead
Elvis is dead
Elvis is dead
Elvis is dead
Elvis is dead

When the king died
He was all alone
I heard that when he died
He was sitting on his throne

Alas poor elvis
They made us know you well
Now you dwell forever
In the heartbreak hotel

Chorus

Elvis was a hero to most
But thats beside the point
A black man taught him how to sing
And then he was crowned king

The pelvis of elvis
Too dangerous for the masses

They cleaned him up and sent him to vegas
Now the masses are his slave
Slave? slave
Yes, even from the grave

Elvis is dead

[sampled voices]

Ive got a reason to believe
We all wont be received at graceland
Ive got a reason to believe
We all wont be received at graceland

happeningthang · Joined: 26 Apr 2003

flakfizer · Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 5:13 pm Post subject:

"Well there's a few more things you need to know about me,
I trained "Trigger" single-handedly.
I invented see-through negligees,
And I bought the flying saucer off the Presley estate.

You got to give it up,
You got to give it up baby.
Give it up.
You got to give it up, baby, tell me where it's at."

ZZ Top

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

You forgot "Girls Love Elvis" by 명령27호.

http://assignment27.wo.to/

Woland · Joined: 10 May 2006 Location: Seoul

Woland · Joined: 10 May 2006 Location: Seoul