Elvis Presley, though enduring hard times, made an exponentially positive and slightly negative effect on American Culture. There are most definitely two sides to this story which can be seen throughout history itself. One may be flabbergasted in the pulchritudinous moves of his pelvic thrusting and one may view it as a disgrace to society.
The positive effect of Elvis Presley on American Culture comes in many different forms and shapes. Mr. Presley helped the war effort out by being drafted into the army in January of 1957. (Elvis Encyclopedia, Page 23) He took army publicity photos to inspire Americans to join the affair. Presley was stationed in 3rd Armored Division in Germany and was a pistol sharpshooter. He also opened the door for many…show more content… Now his pelvic thrust and groovy movements were a disgrace to adult viewers, so television showed him from only the waist up. They did not want to see his frisky hips because they don’t lie. Also, Mr. Presley ingested so many drugs that shortly after his divorce he fell into a coma for three days. (Phrases.org.uk) Mr. Presley became increasingly isolated, overweight, and battled an addiction to prescription drugs due to this event. Sometimes he even collapsed onstage due to his health problems. He was not influenced by his peers to do such things. Presley did not succumb to peer pressure and was actually indulging in the art of prescription drugs while his aquatints preferred LSD and marijuana. Meanwhile, radio programs would not play Presley’s music on their stations due to his impression on society. He made females ornery and was considered a threat to the moral well-being of young women. His nickname for the gals turned out to be “Elvis the Pelvis” and during one event needed one hundred national guardsmen to surround the stage to control fans. There were also some records of Courts’ threatening to arrest Mr. Presley if he shook his body while performing on stage in their county. Now some people in the south even called his music “nigger music”, creating a bad reputation for Elvis himself. This not only made him look bad but…show more content… He earned fourteen Grammys, inductions into several different Hall of Fames, and more. (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-1986, Country Music Hall of Fame-1998, and Gospel Music Hall of Fame-2001) He also had eighteen number one billboard chart songs and over one hundred & fifty gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums. Due to this Mr. Presley traveled the United States inspiring people with his unique riffs and while creating a new era in his name. This new era soon became known as Rock ‘n’ Roll. He was also the first artist to have four shows with sold-out crowds at Madison Square Garden. Not many artists can achieve such a goal no matter how hard they try. Now Mr. Presley’s final record, Moody Blues 1976, even had a hit song on it called “Way Down”. (Manythings.org) With that being said, not every artist is able to compose a hit song on their final album, it was an astounding accomplishment. Also he is one of only four artists to have two top five albums on the charts simultaneously. Which in the contrary in his “Aloha from Hawaii” concert, which was the first of its kind to be broadcast worldwide via satellite and was seen by at least one billion viewers, influenced a new age of artists to join the Rock ‘n’ Roll
