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.
Growing up in 1950s Liverpool, John Lennon – who would have been 82 this month – and Paul McCartney fell in love with rising star Elvis Presley's rock and roll music.
As teenagers, The Beatles, especially John Lennon, were strongly influenced by Elvis Presley. They started wearing their hair slicked back like Elvis. They admired his rebelliousness and his appeal to women, not to mention his musical talent. “Nothing affected me until I heard Elvis,” John Lennon said.
"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.
Elvis and the Beatles were, at best, frenemies
Elvis's insults in the White House are a sad coda to the relationship between the pop stars. At best, Elvis and the Beatles had a strained relationship.
'John Lennon said, 'I didn't have the nerve to tell Elvis last night, but when I was in high school I wanted to do everything I could to look like him. I almost got kicked out of school for it. Tell Elvis, without him, we'd be nothing'.
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.
The group were huge Elvis admirers and three members (Plant, Page and Bonham) gladly accepted along with their infamous manager, Peter Grant. Although not a big fan of hard rock, Elvis knew who Zeppelin were and was amused that his young step-brother, Ricky, was so excited to hear that they'd be in the audience.
Read more: Paul McCartney unveils stunning trailer for long-awaited McCartney III album sequel. It was August 27, 1965, when Presley and the Beatles met for the first and only time.
It's understandable why the Beatles felt betrayed when they first met Elvis, as he betrayed them years after they met. John Lennon claimed that the only person the United States had ever desired to meet was him. We idolized him so much that we idolized him so much as a result of him.
Top-selling artists worldwide as of 2022
Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.
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.
Of people who are at least somewhat familiar with the Beatles, 43% say they love McCartney, while somewhat fewer say they love each of the three other band members, including John Lennon (34% love him), Ringo Starr (32%), and George Harrison (31%).
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.
Combining all three attributes of reputation, fame and achievement, the Who's Bigger? list for Rock Hall inductees ranks Elvis Presley slightly above The Beatles, with John Lennon and Paul McCartney holding their own just a few slots below their own group.
He then added: “I have met Elvis Presley, who was darn cool. This was pre-Las Vegas and the rhinestone suits. This was when he was in Beverly Hills, so he was really cool!” McCartney said if he “had to choose” a number one coolest person he met, he'd “have to go with my wife Nancy,” with Elvis coming in a close second.
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.
Elvis Presley Live
December 31,1975 Elvis makes his biggest concert ever, earning a gross $800.000. With a crowd of over 60000!! Elvis performes at the "Pontiac Silverdome" in Pontiac, Michigan 8:30 p.m. Elvis wore the Rainfall suit with original belt.
Finally, Elvis said, “Well, guys, if you're going to just sit around staring at me, I might as well go to bed,” and everyone laughed. He picked up a bass guitar and played along to the song on his jukebox, Charlie Rich's “Mohair Sam.” The Beatles began talking about music, and the tension eased.
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.
Presley even depicted one British performer in particular who Elvis adored even as a teenager. He held high admiration for Tom Jones and his song “Green, Green, Grass of Home” struck a chord. Presley admired Tom Jones and eventually got to meet and develop a close friendship with the singer.
According to one member of The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards, they sadly missed out on the honour of getting the chance to meet their idol. On his YouTube show Ask Keith, the guitarist opened up on how influential The King was for him, and how he felt when he did not get the chance to meet him.
“Heartbreak Hotel” seemed to change everything, not just for John Lennon, but also for rock and roll history.
• 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.
However, George Harrison and Ringo Starr claimed in The Beatles Anthology documentary that they never jammed with Elvis. In truth, it was more like a “Lennon-McCartney-Presley” jam session. The jam session of mostly rhythm and blues songs lasted about 45 minutes.