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Is Elvis Overrated?

For me ..by no means is Elvis overrated...OMG jsut watch his 1968 comeback special.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfKnjYoSOv4................. this will get your blood pumping...Hot and sexy...no doubt....Also I would never compare Michael to Elvis.....I Love Michael So much....they both have different places in my heart......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-WVpQ0ZG8Q............................................... Michael...Hot and sexy.....to me...two true artist brilliant in very different ways.....My life would of not been the same without either one of them.....:)


edit folks...IDK why links dont work...but anyway I think you get the Idea what I am trying to say both are beautiful....
 
Bob George said:
I love Elvis. I think he had a great voice and was a great performer. What I loved most about him was his energy. His songs, even the love ballads, are packed with energy. And it's his voice that does it. A raw, untrained, naturally-good voice. The rawness of his voice in especially his early recordings is to die for. He may not of written his own songs, but he made them his by giving each song such character and energy. He sung every song like he had written them. So I don't care much that he wasn't a singer-songwriter. He was brilliant nonetheless.
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I agree with everything you say , and elvis sang with so much emotion that you believe every word he sang, thats what makes up a good singer, and his voice was incredible, and on stage he was unique in his performance, the way he did things , love love elvis and he deserves all the credit he gets, but also love michael and he deserves as much credit.
 
Was elvis talented? Yes. Was Elvis so talented that he deserves to be called the King of Rock and Roll? No. Do I like Elvis much better than the Beatles? Yes, yes, yes.
 
I say Elvis is NOT overrated. He is one of the most charismatic (if not the most charismatic) performer ever walked on earth. He got the feeling. He had awesome voice. And because he was charismatic guy, people fell in love with him. There's not many charismatic performers out there nowadays. :(
 
No, i also do not think he is overrated. people go on that he didn't invent rock and roll and that is some good enough reason.
well take our michael-he didnt invent that ground breaking moonwalk, fans go on to say he lipsynced when other artists did not, or that the groundbreaking billie jean was really a hall and oats beat. and some of his movies were james brown, and he copied fred astaire's socks/smoothcriminal

well elvis, as michael still came out and did amazing things for music, NO MATTER IF THEY INVENTED SOMETHING OR NOT. oops caps. =) (i didnt mean to bring michael into this)
but my point is, i think we go too crazy with our opinions where we need to nitpick everything about an artist in general. 'well, they didn't do this or that, so he/she isn't that great'
shit, they are trying to only sing! why cant this be enough! people were moved by his performances same as the beatles.
so cant he be great???? why does he need to be overrated?? Elvis was an amazing performer and had amazing songs, whether he wrote or not, he had that unique voice his peers tried to copy. and elvis had an amazing voice for Rock music. other white rockers couldnt top him.
Elvis laced rock with !country music! and blues with gospel. pretty interesting mix. he wasnt great in alot of his movies, but viva las vegas/jailhouse rock are classic movies and the song in jailhouse rock is considered the ''first music video''.
im not going to be a fan who comes into a thread and says 'well i havent heard about this artist, before i came into this thread' blah blah!!!! lmao. the man is known in countries hes never even set foot in. thats saying something. i saw some indian movie with some guy wearing his clothes, guitar, and hairstyle. hes touched places hes never been.

lets talk about these singers out now who do not even have a good voice. but yet are huge, i can think of one pop woman right now.
 
Yes, I think Elvis was overrated. yes, he was good but you had others who started before him. Because of racism, many great black artists did not get the credit. to day, many people now feel Little Richard or chuck Berry should have been called "king or roll n roll". Even Ray CHarles said this. Elvis was given alot more because he was white compare to Michael who had to fight even to get on MTV.
 
ginvid said:
Was elvis talented? Yes. Was Elvis so talented that he deserves to be called the King of Rock and Roll? No. Do I like Elvis much better than the Beatles? Yes, yes, yes.
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This pretty much sums it up.
 
BruceWayne said:
Look, I think that Elvis was one of the first artists that were provocative - I mean, the TV channels refused to show his lower half because they felt his movements were too "sexual".
Elvis had an unique tone to his voice, and I think he had a somewhat unique sound.
He was also working in the movie industry.
He's the best selling artist of all time (source: Wikipedia)

His legacy is that he was himself and people loved him for who he was - I think it's just as simple as that.
If you sell a billion records, then you're doing something right.

I give the man the respect he deserve.
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Agreed.
I don't think he is overrated either.
Elvis Presley created earthquakes with his music, performances, looks and style habits. He's the man with the sideburns who had this unique way of performing his rock and ballads. The way he moved. The stuff he wore with all the gem stones. heh. Women LOVVVVVVVVVVVED him (especially when he was young).
He starred in many movies. Was very influential for his time according to research.
He had the perfect sound for his time. His sound is deemed iconic by many.
Naturally, you see so many tributes and parodies of him even to this day.
His name alone is an icon. Elvis.

I don't know... I just can't bring myself to say he is overrated.
The man was something else. Gotta respect that. imho.
Whether he was the king of rock and roll or not? Well, many seemed to have agreed he was at the time. I'd like to travel back then to see for myself.
Regardless there will always be those who disagree. Whatever the reason.
 
MJJ Lover xOX said:
I like Elvis. I have his music on my Ipod. So yeah, he's okay. But I do think he is overrated and it has nothing to do with Michael. I don't think he really ever kept pushing himself? He got his sound...and then stayed with it? It never grew, it never became something else...he stayed with what he had and what he had was good. But he could have been better, he could have pushed himself more but I don't personally believe he did! I like him and I enjoy some of his songs but I think he's very overrated.
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I think this is probably one of the fairest statements I've read. I think Elvis was a good singer and good guitar player. We didn't have music videos back in those days, so I don't count that. The one thing that I think he should have done was to write some of his own music. That he did not do. He always wanted to take acting lessons, but for some reason that never worked out. He was very naive about the business and was taken advantage of by a lot of people. Unfortunately, I think he was like a lot of young stars back in those days and even those today as well.
I think where the resentment lies is mostly in the black community b/c Elvis was credited with a style of music that began and was cultivated in the black community. Rock n' Roll, Jazz, Blues all began in the poor black communites in the south and midwest. Music, fashion, inventions were stolen and those ideas marketed into the white mainstream communities. Blacks had no recourse against such activities in that time. Do I think Elvis deserved the title "King of Rock and Roll"? Not necessarily. I think Chuck Berry and Little Richard are some of the real pioneers of that style.
However, in Michael's case, he did not invent pop music, but he did raise the bars to such a level that no one can reach them. He was very innovative and multi-talented. That's why he has stood out from everyone else and has endured for over 4 decades. He truly DID earn the moniker "King of Pop".
 
No, he's not overrated. He deserves his status and no one can take it away. It's the same for Michael. Love or hate them, they are who they are and that's that.
 
I feel that the media really overrates him, but at the same time i'm trying to be fair here due to the fact that i'm not a big fan of Elvis. I mean I haven't listened to all his music like say most big Elvis fans so i'm probably missing a lot. I mean Michael has this same problem where people find him to be overrated as well, but most who say that haven't listened to a lot of his music and think he's all hype. Same thing with Elvis, but the thing is that the media really tries to make it seem like he and The Beatles are the greatest things ever and that no one should ever question this and I think that's where some of the resentment comes from with a number of people like myself. Especially those who feel that Elvis has been unfairly credited as being "The King of Rock 'n' Roll".

I do feel that others such as Chucky Berry and Little Richard haven't been given the credit they deserved, but at the same time, Elvis' talented can't be denied. He was really an excellent vocalist and performer. He was very charistmatic too. As I said i'm not familiar with all his music, but I do enjoy a number of his songs. I just don't think he could ever be classified as a musical genius since I really don't see how he was so creative or artistic. He was a great talent though, but there have been many great talents that don't even come close to getting the hype he does.

I guess I have to say that I do find Elvis to be overrated. A talented singer and performer, but a musical genius or the greatest artist ever? Not a chance. At least not in my opinion.

I still like him better than the beatles though lol
 
MrsMJ2007 said:
The one thing that I think he should have done was to write some of his own music.
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Very few performers self wrote at the time, especially in the pop field. There was Sam Cooke and a few others. Most writing was done by record label staff writers or freelance songwriters. It was pretty much The Beatles & maybe Bob Dylan that popularized writing your own songs.
 
Yeah Elvis is overrated. All he did was copy Jackie Wilson. Jackie should be given more credit and be the King of Rock n' roll.
 
terrell said:
Yes, I think Elvis was overrated. yes, he was good but you had others who started before him. Because of racism, many great black artists did not get the credit. to day, many people now feel Little Richard or chuck Berry should have been called "king or roll n roll". Even Ray CHarles said this. Elvis was given alot more because he was white compare to Michael who had to fight even to get on MTV.
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Truth!!! And and all the hip moving and so called "dancing" he got from these guys, especially jackie Wilson. The hip moving was straight from Jackie Wilson. Elvis didn't get it get it right though. He wasn't the best dancer. The so call impact and what else he brought to mainstream , he took from them. If they were given a fair shot in society then, if not for racism they would have been in the forefront , not Elvis.
 
I just hate it when some people think that Elvis deserves to breath the same air as artists like Michael Jackson, Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Stevie Wonder etc. Yeah Elvis was good at what he did but in my opinion he should never be put in the same leauge as the artists i've just listed. That's the only time Elvis becomes overrated for me
 
YES HE IS OVERRATED, and dont call me racist cause I'm white, blond, blue eyes and everything, now people is racist cause they are giving Elvis sooooo much credit, i mean is like they always compare Elvis to Michael... im like WHAT???????? did i miss something?????, Elvis had talent yes, but nothing like Michael Jackson, I MEAN come on!! have you actually compare them both (writing skills, voice, dance, charisma).... is like a joke, poor Elvis looks helpless next to Michael..... its unfair to Elvis i think, i respect Elvis, but STOP COMPARING HIM TO MICHAEL.... Its an insult to Michael's talents...You cant compare Michael to anybody, simple as that...
 
Nar said:
Agreed.
I don't think he is overrated either.
Elvis Presley created earthquakes with his music, performances, looks and style habits. He's the man with the sideburns who had this unique way of performing his rock and ballads. The way he moved. The stuff he wore with all the gem stones. heh. Women LOVVVVVVVVVVVED him (especially when he was young).
He starred in many movies. Was very influential for his time according to research.
He had the perfect sound for his time. His sound is deemed iconic by many.
Naturally, you see so many tributes and parodies of him even to this day.
His name alone is an icon. Elvis.

I don't know... I just can't bring myself to say he is overrated.
The man was something else. Gotta respect that. imho.
Whether he was the king of rock and roll or not? Well, many seemed to have agreed he was at the time. I'd like to travel back then to see for myself.
Regardless there will always be those who disagree. Whatever the reason.
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I agree.

I don't think Elvis is overrated. We can't look at him with today's eyes.. the world was different then.

He was extremely popular and set all kinds of records.

I'm 21 and when I was little Elvis was the first singer I ever heard of.. and no my parents weren't fans so I don't know where that came from. I remember, I was probably about 8 or 9, singing some of his songs 'you ain't nothin but a hound dogggg.. cryin all the timee..well you aint never caught a rabbit and you aint no friend of minee' lol *ahem* I used to style my older cousin's hair into a quiff and call him 'Elvis the pelvis' :/ how wrong.

Anyway, yeh he obviously did something right to be the biggest selling artist of all time, and still be talked about and still sell records about 32 years after his death with no promotional campaigns.

He's a cultural icon whether you like him or not.

Just wikipedia tells you some reasons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_impact_of_Elvis_Presley

If you want to find info on Elvis' impact..google is your friend.

Looking at some of the search results it seems like kids study Elvis at school. Well, I hope they will study Michael too.

I wouldn't call myself a fan of Elvis, I own zero Elvis material.

I certainly prefer Michael Jackson, of course!.. but I won't disrespect or disregard Elvis just because I absolutely love Michael.

Some people saying he is overrated weren't around at the time of his career and probably don't know much about him and the impact he had. This isn't an Elvis vs. MJ thread so I don't know why people are doing that. Seems some have bad feeling towards certain artists, for example Elvis or The Beatles just because they're fans of Michael and view some kind of rivalry between them.
 
^^ I think people have bad feelings to certain artists because they always got compared to MJ when they arent even anywhere near him in the talent department. Some fans feel the comparison is like an insult to his talent. How can you compare a talented wunderkind to someone who sang other peoples' songs? If you compare him to someone who had all the talents and had made cultural impact in the scale he had, then I guess ppl would be okay with it. But before MJ, there's no such artist and in the future, not sure.

So you all know my answer. ditto post 46 and 48 :D
 
Draliongirl said:
YES HE IS OVERRATED, and dont call me racist cause I'm white, blond, blue eyes and everything, now people is racist cause they are giving Elvis sooooo much credit, i mean is like they always compare Elvis to Michael... im like WHAT???????? did i miss something?????, Elvis had talent yes, but nothing like Michael Jackson, I MEAN come on!! have you actually compare them both (writing skills, voice, dance, charisma).... is like a joke, poor Elvis looks helpless next to Michael..... its unfair to Elvis i think, i respect Elvis, but STOP COMPARING HIM TO MICHAEL.... Its an insult to Michael's talents...You cant compare Michael to anybody, simple as that...
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Is Elvis Overrated?

*In my best Elvis voice*.....Uuuuuhhuhhhh!

I'm black, proud and NOT racist (my other half is a blue eyed Caucasian) I ALSO think Elvis is overrated. Michael said it best...he's famous for singing/dancing like a black man of that time.

Granted I do think Elvis had a beautiful voice and his hymns are very inspirational. But the whole hip swiveling "hound dog" persona was NOTHING NEW. He was just a novelty with that stuff and that's what made him really popular (his dashing good looks didn't hurt either).

You are also right...there's no comparing Elvis with Michael. It's like Apples and Oranges. Both lovely fruits but two totally different experiences.
 
Draliongirl said:
YES HE IS OVERRATED, and dont call me racist cause I'm white, blond, blue eyes and everything, now people is racist cause they are giving Elvis sooooo much credit, i mean is like they always compare Elvis to Michael... im like WHAT???????? did i miss something?????, Elvis had talent yes, but nothing like Michael Jackson, I MEAN come on!! have you actually compare them both (writing skills, voice, dance, charisma).... is like a joke, poor Elvis looks helpless next to Michael..... its unfair to Elvis i think, i respect Elvis, but STOP COMPARING HIM TO MICHAEL.... Its an insult to Michael's talents...You cant compare Michael to anybody, simple as that...
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Thank you so much sadly I don't know anything about elvis all i know when i was growing up I always will hear my family members or other people say all he did was steal black people music i never went by that i felt like he learn from black artist and did his own thing. But to compare MJ and elvis people really do need to stop that they both are different and paid the way for other artist who looks up to them.
 
lilsusie said:
^^ I think people have bad feelings to certain artists because they always got compared to MJ when they arent even anywhere near him in the talent department. Some fans feel the comparison is like an insult to his talent. How can you compare a talented wunderkind to someone who sang other peoples' songs? If you compare him to someone who had all the talents and had made cultural impact in the scale he had, then I guess ppl would be okay with it. But before MJ, there's no such artist and in the future, not sure.
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Thanks for the reply, yeh I understand that if that's the question, but I didn't see the question 'Is Elvis better than MJ?' here..but that's what is turned into. The question was just 'Is Elvis overrated? and what was/is his true legacy?'

I have realised this is an MJ board, so anyone else mentioned is going to be compared to him whether or not that's the question, and obviously come off worse because Michael Jackson is what he is, amazing.
 
Ive been i really big fan of Elvis for years, i just love him, i mean he's not Mike for me, the way i love Mike is SO much bigger! But Elvis is so amazing too, he's given so much to music, he's such an amazing entertainer on stage or his movies which ive watched scince i was tinny and his voice is so beautiful!
I think a few people on her have got nasty about it, if you dont like him thats fine, but you cant say he is overrated i think, the man had talent ozzing out of him. His music has stood the test of time like Michaels will, and he will continue to be an amazing inspiration on music!
 
I haven't read the entire thread, but this is like asking if MJ is overrated. :scratch: Elvis was/is a KING and always will be.

ETA: And please don't attack me because I posted "like" and "MJ." Once again, there is no comparison. They are BOTH very different Legends... and they are still Kings and pioneers of their time. Simple as that.
 
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I think Elvis is a bit overrated..He has some good songs but not as good as Michael's..and also Mike was on another level when it came to talent/performing..like yall said, Elvis stole most of his stuff from black singers..I remember Mike said that a black man wrote most or all of Elvis' songs..I perfer the Beatles over Elvis simply because they were better artists than Elvis..they were hella good songwriters!! Elvis has a nice voice though, but that's it..
 
Elvis is NOT overrated. His music was just as revolutionary as Michael's and millions of people still love it. I can guarantee that 30 years after people will think Michael is overrated too because music will be completely different. That's why you shouldn't rate artists only depending on your personal taste
 
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