The admiration of Elvis expanded greatly when Paul got to see Presley's sense of humor and good looks in the movies. “We all loved Elvis – he was so hot,” Paul McCartney gushed years later. “We were just so in love with him. He was just the greatest idol, always hamming it up, always doing a little funny thing.
In 1994, McCartney shared a similar view of The King during an interview with guitar writer Tony Bacon. The Beatles legend said: “Elvis was the guy. He ended up a complete plonker, unfortunately—he turned in the end, wanted to become a Federal drug marshal.”
Paul McCartney recalls meeting Elvis Presley in the summer of 1965 in a new interview with Wired Magazine. In the video, McCartney talks about what it was like to meet Elvis and how the king's television technology wowed the Fab Four. McCartney also discusses Beatles history, being knighted and more in the video.
He looked too much like a rock star to me. “Elvis is the greatest because he did his own thing,” John Lennon once said of the singer. It made no difference what anyone said to him. In both his style and rebellious manner, it's clear that The Beatles owe much to Elvis.
"He had all his guys around him, and we said, 'Hi, Elvis. ' He was pretty shy, and we were a little shy, but between the five of us, we kept it rolling. I felt I was more thrilled to meet him than he was to meet me." Both Paul McCartney and John Lennon admitted to no small amount of nerves.
John Lennon said there wouldn't have been The Beatles without Elvis. Paul McCartney praised John as the Elvis of The Beatles. Likewise, John praised Elvis for inspiring The Beatles' music, but he had a strange way of showing his admiration. John and Paul became prolific songwriters as their careers progressed.
Lennon, according to Harris, was disappointed when he met Lennon despite his admiration for Elvis' music. It is true that he despised the King of Rock and Roll because he perceived him to be a right-wing bigot from the South. When he was a teenager, John Lennon was a huge fan of Elvis Presley.
“Heartbreak Hotel” seemed to change everything, not just for John Lennon, but also for rock and roll history.
“Elvis is NOT King,” wrote Jackson. “I am not prejudiced, it's just time for the first Black King now.” Jackson vowed to use his huge influence to end racism beyond the music industry.
It is worth mentioning that the Beatles themselves held immense respect and admiration for Elvis, considering him a significant influence on their own musical development. They recognized his contributions to popular music and looked up to him as a rock 'n' roll icon.
Mick Jagger
"It was Elvis that got me interested in music. I've been an Elvis fan since I was a kid. Ask anyone. If it hadn't been for Elvis, I don't know where popular music would be.
On that list, Elvis Presley outranks The Beatles in terms of “significance” (Presley's ranking is 7.116 and The Beatles ranking is 6.707). However, The Beatles outrank Elvis in terms of “fame”: The Beatles scored 4.423 vs. Elvis at 3.592.
Elvis was simply unlike any other performer they'd ever seen, and they were concerned. For this reason, Ed Sullivan initially refused to book him on his show as he wanted to distance himself from the harsh criticism that Presley was receiving.
'Black Star': David Bowie's Connection to Elvis Presley
In an interview with Q in 1997 Bowie said of the date: 'I couldn't believe it', he was a major hero of mine. And I was probably stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something'.
In fact, Bowie was a massive Elvis fan, and was said to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the rock and roll icon's career. Plus, the pair shared a birthday on January 8.
Today marks the day Elvis famously performed "Hound Dog" on "The Milton Berle Show" and stirred up quite a frenzy. On June 5, 1956, Elvis set his guitar to the side and performed what came to be known as one of the most controversial performances in television history.
On hearing of Presley's death, in 1977, Sinatra was genuinely saddened and effusive in his praise of the man they called The King. “There have been many accolades uttered about Elvis' talent and performances through the years, all of which I agree with wholeheartedly,” he said. “I shall miss him dearly as a friend.
“I know he was the funniest man and probably the most serious man I knew, both people in one," she said. "He made me laugh so hard. And at the same time, he would call me late at night to discuss things like the ghetto, and his concern for people in the ghetto.”
James Brown and Elvis Presley were good friends and admired each others talents. James authored two books, and one contains this quote about Elvis: 'I wasn't just a fan, I was his brother. He said I was good and I said he was good; we never argued about that. Elvis was a hard worker, dedicated, and God loved him ...
He says Elvis's favorite groups were the Harmonizing Four and Golden Gate Quartet and his favorite gospel singers included Jimmy Jones, Jake Hess (who sang with the Statesmen and later formed the Imperials) and Mahalia Jackson.
Elvis and the Beatles were, at best, frenemies
At best, Elvis and the Beatles had a strained relationship. There's only one well-publicized meeting between the two, which occurred on August 27, 1965 when the Beatles visited Presley in his Beverly Hills home.
Apparently, Elvis laughed it all off at the time but couldn't hide how offended he was. And he never forgot. In fact, it became a bit of an obsession for him. Hutchins revealed: "Presley allied himself with the FBI director Edgar Hoover and encouraged him to have Lennon thrown out of the US."
• Beatles lead Elvis in #1 records
In the top 20, Elvis had 61 songs and The Beatles 37. Near the top of the chart, however, the Fab Four closed the gap and overtook Elvis.
During the latter years of Elvis' life, John Lennon heaped praise on the singer, expressing his deep sadness at his death. According to John, Elvis actually died the day before he enlisted in the army. They killed him that day, and his body was left there for the rest of his life.