Tag Archives: Elvis Aaron Presley

Music Monday: January 6, 2025

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to the first edition of Music Monday for the new year.

Blog 2025

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Welcome to 2025, everyone.

If you have been here for a while you know I am not much for resolutions. I try to find a word or a phrase to guide me for the year. Not surprisingly, I usually find said inspiration in a song. This year is no different.

My process is to think about it for most of December and once I have chosen my song, I know it will be the first one I listen to in the new year to start it off right. The track I chose for 2025 alludes to a state of mind of peace and happiness as well as the path to get there. And the older I get the easier it is to see I have the choice and ability-albeit temporarily-to keep MY world as safe and as peaceful as possible by limiting the amount of time I let THE world in.

That is a powerful force to realize and utilize which I plan to do a lot more this year. I started doing this during the pandemic lockdown and it really helped me cope. I continued keeping myself fairly isolated in the figurative sense since then but there is a lot more I can do to improve on it. Plus, this year’s song also takes me back to an absolutely glorious scene from one of my favorite shows of all time. It drives the point home about our ability to make the choices that are best for us.

“Wash away my troubles
Wash away my pain
With the rain in Shambala
Wash away my sorrow
Wash away my shame
With the rain in Shambala“.

lost-van-scene
Lost van Jin and Sawyer

Above: The sublime van ride scene in “Lost” S3 E10, “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead”. Top: Charlie (L) and Hurley (R) (Dominic Monaghan and Jorge Garcia). Center: The ride. Bottom: Jin (L) and Sawyer (R) (Daniel Dae Kim and Josh Holloway). (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Elvis Aaron Presley was born 90 years ago on January 8, 1935. At 19 years old he recorded his first record which put him on the path that led to his throne as The King. He changed music, pop culture and how we saw ourselves reflected back in the world he created. And we were all the better for it.

Singer, actor, Army veteran, entertainer, legend. He not only introduced rock & roll to the mainstream, he also brought it to life. What more can be said that has not already been said about this stunning mountain of a man except that he is missed every single moment there is air around us. And thank you seems like such a small phrase which does not come close to the amount of gratitude he is due.

All hail 90 years of The King.

Elvis A
Elvis B
Elvis C

Top: Elvis at the beginning circa 1957 when he introduced the world to his hip shaking moves. Middle: The King and his guitar circa 1958. Bottom: A moment from the 1968 TV special. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Three Dog Night: “Shambala” (1973, written by Daniel Moore).

Elvis Presley: “That’s All Right” (1954, written by Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup).

Elvis Presley: “Can’t Help Falling In Love” (1961, written by Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti and George David Weiss).

Elvis Presley: “Suspicious Minds” (1969, written by Mark James).

Stay safe & well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 518

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Yesterday we remembered a happy musical event. Today marks one of the most somber days to anyone who understands the power of this man’s talent. On August 16, 1977 Elvis Presley died at his home in Graceland. I have often written that I do not like to dwell on the days we lose our musical heroes but the loss of The King cannot help but be an exception. His death 44 years ago changed the trajectory of the world much like his censored performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” did twenty years earlier.

On the 25th anniversary of his death, RCA Records released Elvis 30 #1 Hits on August 16 2002. It included a bonus track-a remix of his 1968 song “A Little Less Conversation”-which gave The King another #1 record in several countries including the U.K. Today’s song is the first one on that album because it was his first #1 record ever. And once he got to the top, Elvis Presley never left that throne. All hail The King.

“Although it’s always crowded
You still can find some room
For broken-hearted lovers
To cry there in the gloom“.

Elvis

Elvis Aaron Presley circa 1956. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Elvis Presley: “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956, written by Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden and Elvis Presley).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.