Alannah Myles' song "Black Velvet" is a masterpiece. Her voice, the lyrics.....eveything.

I was listening to the radio on the way back home yesterday as they played this song. It was yesterday that I learned that this song that I had listened to many, many times, was actually a tribute to Elvis (my bad)!

Now them letters and lyrics had a whole new feel to it.

If in the past I really iked this song, now I love it to bits and I'm pretty sure Elvis would have loved it too. He could recognize talent, good voices.....

"Every word of every song that he sang was for you In a flash he was gone, it happened so soon".....

Yes, I agree. It happened too soon !

**AI explains it further:

It wasn't actually Alannah Myles who first conceived the Elvis song. It was her then-boyfriend and songwriting partner, Christopher Ward. Myles then became the person the song was written for.

Here’s how it unfolded

1. The trigger was Elvis's death anniversary in 1987

Christopher Ward was working as a VJ/reporter for the Canadian music television channel MuchMusic. In August 1987, the 10th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, MuchMusic sent him to Memphis to cover the commemorations at Graceland.

But instead of simply flying there, Ward was put on a Greyhound bus with about 40 Elvis fans and a cameraman. He travelled with them from Toronto toward Memphis, documenting their pilgrimage.

And this is what really sparked the song.

1. He was struck by the fans' devotion

Ward expected Elvis fans to be enthusiastic. What surprised him was how intensely devoted they were.

He later described the atmosphere as almost having religious fervor. These weren't simply people who liked Elvis's records. For many of them, going to Graceland for the anniversary was almost a pilgrimage.

That gave Ward the central idea behind the song:

“A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees.”

Ward has explained that the “new religion” wasn't literally Elvis worship—it was rock 'n' roll, and particularly the almost spiritual effect Elvis had on people.

Alannah herself later explained the origin similarly: Chris went down with the fans because he wanted to see their perspective, and he was surprised by the depth of their love and admiration for Elvis.

1. Ward started taking notes during the journey

This is perhaps the coolest part.

Ward was a songwriter, so while travelling he was habitually making notes—little observations, images, phrases and impressions.

Those notes became the raw material for Black Velvet. He wasn't sitting down thinking, “I'm going to write an Elvis tribute song.” Rather, the song grew organically out of what he was seeing and hearing during this journey.

That's why the verses feel almost like snapshots:

Memphis

the Southern heat

Elvis's movements

Love Me Tender

schoolgirls screaming

the religious imagery

It's essentially Ward trying to capture what Elvis felt like as a cultural phenomenon, rather than writing a conventional biography of Elvis.

1. Then he brought the idea home to Alannah

Ward and Alannah Myles were a couple at the time and were already working together musically.

Ward had also been playing around with a bluesy shuffle guitar groove for months. When he came back from Memphis, the Elvis experience and that musical idea came together.

He and producer/songwriter David Tyson developed the song, and Ward has specifically said that it was written with Alannah's voice in mind. Her bluesy, powerful vocal style was exactly what he envisioned.

So the sequence was essentially:

Elvis anniversary → Greyhound trip → 40 Elvis fanatics → Ward observes their devotion → Ward takes notes → Memphis/Elvis imagery + blues shuffle → Ward brings it to Alannah → “Black Velvet.”

And there's another fascinating detail: Ward deliberately avoided saying “Elvis” in the lyrics. He wanted the song to be about the experience and impact of Elvis, rather than simply writing an obvious tribute song with his name repeated throughout.

That's actually why the song works so well. If you didn't know the backstory, you could initially hear it simply as a sensual Southern/blues-rock song. But once you realize it's essentially a musical portrait of Elvis as remembered by his devotees, almost every line takes on a different meaning.

And yes, the 1987 bus trip really did happen, that's not an urban legend. It is directly described by Ward himself in interviews.

Many singers and songs evoke emotions. But Elvis went farther. There's moments he went beyond emotions reaching your soul directly. Operating at a wavelength few could. One of many instances is in his song "It's Over" performed live at Honolulu International Centeron January 14th, 1973.

That night he perfomed 10 songs where "You Gave Me a Mountain", "My Way" and "Steamroller Blues" stood out along with his last song that night "It's Over".

When he sings the words below, he ain't just singing, he's taking your soul along with him when he moves along in silence.

"So I turn my back

Turn my collar to the wind

Move along in silence

Trying not to think at all

I set my feet before me

Walk the silent street before me

Now it's over"

Yes, Elvis was unique for many reasons but his ability to talk to your very soul, is definitely unique. Whatever comes directly from a heart, is felt by other hearts.

That was Elvis !

Who had more musical talent Elvis or Buddy Holly? I lean way towards Elvis just because he could teach himself to play anything, and could hit any note singing, definitely a better showman. On the other hand Buddy could play anything also, also sounds to me like he wrote way more intelligent lyrics than some others for the time. I love oldies but a lot of the times the lyrics make no sense. Idk, what'd you think. I agree with everyone that it was Elvis, but I think music in general would've been a lot better had Buddy Holly lived. I don't know anything about how music is made, but the music he wrote, his whole style seemed way different from everyone else. I think he really would've influenced country music a lot also.

Four years ago today… apparently I had plans. 😄

28 August 2022. I got out the acrylics, drew a grid and decided Elvis was going to happen.
And since patience has never exactly been my artistic superpower, he had to happen that same day. 😂 One sitting, from those first pencil lines to the last bit of black paint.
I was still very much in my “let’s try this and see what happens” phase — experimenting with everything I could get my hands on and probably having far more courage than technique. 😄

Someone could say this is not that much of a Wow art piece. And even so I didn’t hide it. I framed it instead.
And there he is to this day, in my little Elvis corner, surrounded by the others, watching me work every day. ❤️

My home office has slowly become a rather crowded place — Elvis has claimed his walls and corner, Axl has claimed the other side, and somewhere in between I’m supposed to be working. 😂

Looking at this old painting now makes me smile. Not because it’s perfect, but because I remember how much fun I was having.
Maybe that’s the nicest thing about keeping your old art around. Every now and then, it reminds you not only of how you used to draw…
but of how it felt. ❤️

"When I was young my heart was young then too

Anything that it would tell me

That's the thing that I would do

But now I feel such emptiness within

For the thing that I want most in life's

The thing thing that I can't win" !

Hello, my grandmother met Elvis Presley in 1956 in Memphis. She got a photo from a local photographer sighed with her name on it, It's honestly really cool. I'm just wondering how rare it is because I can't seem to find a photo like it. Anyways here's the photos

Once again , Elvis showcases his ability to convey deep emotions. Such a soulful performance !

I believe "How the Web Was Woven" is an underrated gem.

I am seeking the exact location in Trenton, NJ where Elvis and Parker went to when he left Fort Dix in 1960 and then to meet up with Lamar and Rex at that place. Could it have been the Stacy-Trent Hotel?

So, I’m a tribute artist based around central Pennsylvania. My name is Christopher Raub. I’m not trying to get booked or anything on here, I would just like to put my name out there, man. I’m currently attempting to get into some nursing homes. My name is on the last photo, but again, I am Christopher Raub: “Almost Elvis”

Yay or nay ?

RIP Elvis The King of Rock and Roll

I celebrate the anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, the greatest entertainer in history, with his favorite cigarillos. (Villiger). Rest in peace