When Elvis Was King

Reflections of periods in history that affected our society

It is this time of year when the chill of winter starts to subside I begin to think like my father. Then and today we remember times of a bye-gone era where everything moved at a much slower pace. For my farther those times were his yesterdays years. The years of silent movies, where Rudolf Valentino made women swoon. A period where the Flapper fashion was all the rage. But, it was my grandfather who objected to the newly discovered Jazz movement that was sweeping over the country. For my father and all those young ladies the Jazz age brought newfound freedom not associated with the ridged tradition of the pre war Victorian Age. The nation was rebounding from the Great War and renewed prosperity made life carefree and easy. The days of jazz, the charleston, and bathtub gin.

My grandfather whose objection to jazz was manifested out of the perception that this new music trend would corrupt the morals of our society. But, it was my father then who found the Flapper girls and the music of jazz epitomized the mood that was sweeping over the country. Some years latter I come along and now it is my father who sounded just like my grandfather thinking that the music of my generation would corrupt the morals of our society. Music that moved a generation, music that made Elvis king became the embodiment of a nation rebuilding after World War II.  

But, for me it was the time when Elvis was really King. The good old days as my grandfather and father recalled. And yes, I too am proud to say those were the days. Days I thought they would never end. Endless summer days that now are precious memories that have aged like fine wine. A kaleidoscope of recollections come into conscious thought always to reoccur every now and then. Now, as I rest in my easy chair gazing out my window thoughts of my yesterdays years come into my consciousness.

It was the summer of '59, the Chicago White Sox were ahead in the American League and I was in my Little league prime as I recall.  Elvis ruled the pop charts even though he was stationed in Germany. But, it was that glorious summer so vivid in memory brings to mind that the modern age of the 21st century may have some drawbacks that are keeping this world of ours from realizing just how fortunate my grandfather and father were in certain periods of their lives. Both in their simplicity of two distinct eras where an older generation was so convinced that the trends of the day whether it was in music or fashion would utterly corrupt the moral fabric of society.

As that summer of '59 waned the friendships I forged would last a lifetime. And contrary to the beliefs of my grandfather and father the moral fiber of our society didn't capitulate until years latter. But, questions have always surfaced as to why now in the 21st century the moral fabric of American society has succumbed to the pressures of a sociological shift that is unlike any in my lifetime?

When Elvis was king, sure many of us didn't behave like angles but that's not to say that what our youth are exposed to today is a far cry from what we were exposed to during my coming of age years of the 1950's and early 1960's. Many can point out to the tragedy of November 22, 1963 followed by the British invasion of the Beatles were probably two of the more significant occurrences that began Americas great sociological shift. By the late 60's changes in our educational system were uprooting the traditional educational policies that exemplified Americas dominance in education following World War II right up until 1970. A more permissive and pervasive attitude ensued which subsequently lowered educational standards so that today we are just now realizing just what we have done to education right after my collegiate years.

A sociological shift where each generation brings with it cultural trends where much of which is based on music of the times. In the 50's and early 60's it was Elvis who began his career in the mid-1950s, and soon became the king of the newly popular sound of rock and roll. His energized interpretations of songs, many from African American sources, and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular and controversial during that period. Influencing not only the music industry but fashion as well. It seems that for every generation there is certain types of musical trends that are influencers of fashion and social behavior. 

By the dawning of the mid 1970's the reign of Elvis was over and with it brought a new acceptance to ever evolving musical trends. And, of course with innovative music brought sociological behavior and fashion changes that were embraced by a new generation. Unfortunately though the sociological behavior trends with each advent of innovative music have succumbed to what my grandfather and father thought would happen. The moral fiber of our society now has been corrupted by the very industry that made Elvis king.

The corruption has spread to our political system where today some of our more influential politicians have succumbed to behavior that is unfitting to their stature in our society. We as a nation have been silently and unbeknownst to the public through an acceptance of social behavior influenced by the musical trends have been moving in a direction far removed from the accepted norm when Elvis was King. We as a nation will forever be trapped in a whirlwind of moral decay until our society realizes we have allowed sociological behavior trends to corrupt the moral fiber of our society.

Reviews

[boblakin]

The corruption has always been there, it's just that dirty linen is easier to air in public today, 'off with his head' having long been abandoned.

'Tis true that each generation brings something new to the table, but there was a point in time when the 'new' finally finished off what were previously considered enshrined values, (somewhere in the sixties probably.) Freedom is good, but one only needs to observe the behaviour of young children to determine the negative effects of too much freedom, though as ever, it could be argued that it is never the child who is to blame.

Thus the wheel keeps turning.

Interesting reading you today.