Life Lessons From Elvis
I saw the movie Elvis recently and thoroughly enjoyed it. Before watching it, I was told by several people that the movie wasn’t good and that it didn’t portray Elvis in a very good light. So, I watched it with extremely low expectations and when I finished it, I felt as if I had just been in a masterclass for the importance of living a vibrationally aligned and authentic life.
As many of you know, the story is told through his controlling manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played terrifically by Tom Hanks. Parker was a huckster and fraud. No one knew who he really was. Parker–not even his real name–was not a U.S. citizen. But he had discovered Elvis and was no doubt very instrumental in building Elvis’ career. However, it soon became clear that Elvis was Parker’s meal ticket and that meal ticket had to be controlled.
As Elvis’ fame grew, so did his persona and that identity in Parker’s mind had to be that of a wholesome American. Even though a major part of Elvis’ allure was his sex appeal and the amazing effect he had on women of all ages — think his gyrating hips — Parker, and those around him had to protect his image and keep it pure.
But that wasn’t who the authentic Elvis was. He had the music in him, and it needed to come out. It became obvious that Elvis was conflicted in many aspects of his life. He had black friends and that did not go over well in those days with white America. Martin Luther King was shot only miles from his home.
He believed in the Civil Rights movement and wanted to have a voice in correcting the wrongs. But those around him were afraid he would lose his Southern fan base if he spoke out.
In an excellent scene, Elvis decides not to sing Here Comes Santa Claus on his Christmas special and sings a powerful protest song If I Can Dream while Colonel Parker nearly loses his mind.
Another moving example of Elvis’ conflicted self was that he always wanted to do a World Tour, but Parker didn’t want this for several reasons, one being that Parker didn’t have a U.S. passport. Parker therefore signed a contract to have Elvis perform in Las Vegas.
From 1969 until his death in 1977, Elvis would perform 636 shows at the International Hotel in Las Vegas in month-long stints of two shows a night.
It was painfully obvious that Elvis felt stuck. A sad and telling scene was when he told his ex-wife, “I’m all out of dreams, Priscilla.” It was his dreams that led him to become the performer and person he was. His authentic self was full of dreams. But in the end other people’s dreams became more important. The control of those living off the King took its toll.
I finished the movie understanding more than ever the importance of being free and living beyond the expectations of others. From the outside it looked as if Elvis was doing that. The perception was he chose a wild life which included drug abuse that ultimately did him in. In reality, inside he wanted to be the wild and free Elvis that he started out being, and that lack of freedom and authenticity is what eventually did him in.
To live the life we really want, we need to let loose more and allow our “wild side” to come out. Doing so will attract people who align with us–like all of Elvis’ early fans who went wild when he moved his body in a sexually provocative way that only Elvis could.
When we lose our wild side and become puppets of those around us so we can project an ordinary image we begin to decay.
If only Elvis had been allowed to truly evolve, who knows how much more he would have impacted the world. But, just maybe, his lasting impact is to teach all of us the importance of living your wild, free, and authentic life.
—Dan