The rise of Beatlemania
In 1964, the Beatles skyrocketed to fame when they stormed the US with their success of “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. From that moment on, known as “Beatlemania”, the Fab Four had taken the world by storm. With their unique sound, style, and impact, they were quickly becoming the biggest group the world had ever seen. Meanwhile, one of the biggest stars of the time, Elvis Presley, wasn’t so thrilled.
Presley had been an icon and staple in the music industry since 1956 when he was launching his career with “Heartbreak Hotel”. Suddenly, the Beatles came along and gained more popularity than what Elvis had ever seen. They had many more hit songs than him in a relatively short time and everyone was nuts over them. Elvis couldn’t help but feel less recognize and people were already comparing the two. Elvis was in the middle of a heated battle with the Beatles for fame.
Elvis’ Jealousy of the Beatles
This intense feeling of jealousy is thought to be the root of Elvis’s hatred for the Beatles. Elvis himself said in an interview in 1964 that “the Beatles will never make me irrelevant,” and let out quite a bit of his feeling towards them. He said that he didn’t feel threatened at all and that he knew what he did best and the Beatles didn’t pay him any mind. In the same interview he said that “they don’t really have much to do with me.” While he said he had respect for them, his passive aggressive comments reveals his true feeling towards them.
This feeling was shared among the other veterans of the industry. Manager Colonel Tom Parker had always kept Elvis established as top dog of the industry, so when the Beatles took a huge chunk of the limelight, he wasn’t too thrilled. Ultimately he thought that the younger audience the Beatles had would take away from the audience Elvis had. This ended up being true in the long run as his popularity slowly declined with the release of the group’s new sound.
Elvis’ State of Mind
Elvis was 31 when the Beatles were making waves in the industry, and this wasn’t his first time being challenged. He had had to fight long and hard ever since he was starting out and become the world-famous icon he was and he didn’t take this challenge lightly. Elvis was conscious of his age and saw how the younger Beatles got away with things he wasn’t able to, such as their long hair and wild style. His mustache and greased up hair wasn’t enough to keep up with the craze the Beatles were making and wasn’t enough to keep the attention of his young fans. He never cared what people said about him and how he liked to behave but he was conscious on whether his image was attractive to the crowd.
On top of this, Elvis left the army when the Beatles were just getting started in the industry, creating expectations for him to come back with music that would top the charts. He was off the air for two years and by the time he returned, the Beatles already had five songs at number one in the US charts. Elvis was expected to comeback with something that could top the Beatles, which was a big challenge for him. He never actually said that he hated the Beatles, but it was quite obvious in the industry that he wasn’t too happy about the attention they were getting and the effect they had on his popularity.
How Elvis Reacted to Beatlemania
Elvis had to find a way to stay on top of the music industry in spite of the intense competition. To do this, he changed his image, which he had resisted doing for quite a few years. He went back to playing upbeat rock n’ roll, a style many associate with him of this time, although he hadn’t played much of it since his time in the army. He even incorporated elements of the Beatles’ style to his audience’s great satisfaction. However, this was more so done to get away from the feeling of jealous he hadfor the Beatles and not as a genuine admiration for the group.
In the same interview he did in 1964 he said, “Trying to out-sing or out-beat The Beatles isn’t in my line. We have our own thing. We do our thing our own way. What the Beatles do and what I do have nothing to do with each other.” With this, he was trying to create a separation between him and the Beatles that would keep him on top of the industry.
Elvis & the Beatles Boundaries
Elvis also took action outside the music industry to prove his power and superiority. Elvis’ manager Colonel Parker had managed to arrange a meeting between Elvis and the Beatles when they flew over to the US. Immediately upon meeting, Elvis was distant and not introducing himself to them. He tried his best to show the Beatles he was still at the top of the game, even though inside he still felt threatened by them. Paul McCartney, a Beatle, said in a later interview that they were quite taken back by Elvis’ icy behavior and his attempt to prove his supremacy.
Elvis also started playing some of the group’s songs in his shows to prove his influence and strength. He started with their hit “Yesterday” from 1965, which he had learned from a cover by his protégé, his former backup singer, James Burton. The song starts with a guitar riff very similar to Elvis’s own “Heartbreak Hotel” from 1956 and this was no coincidence. However, this move backfired as people started thinking he was copying the Beatles instead, which he highly disliked.
Elvis’ Outcome
Ultimately, Elvis still managed to put up a fight against the Beatles’ popularity. Although he wasn’t number one in the charts anymore and had a hard time keeping up, he still released hit albums and popular songs in the upcoming years.
Elvis’s hatred for the Beatles only reflected how he was feeling about the attention they were getting and the decline of his own popularity, not about them as a group. His jealousy was normal as he was faced with a new group that was sweeping the world with their music and style. Ultimately, they both went on to succeed in their own respective ways, despite Elvis’s initial effort to take back what he saw as his own.
Elvis’ Legacy
Even though Elvis couldn’t outshine the Beatles’ fame, he still remained a strong influence in the music industry. His songs still play in radios today and his style is seen as an icon of the older years of rock n’ roll. Even the Beatles’ style was often compared to Elvis’s as they brought back his sound in a new way. It’s safe to say Elvis left his own legacy running through the history of music.
Elvis’ Rivalry with the Beatles
Elvis’s rivalry with the Beatles was inevitable given the circumstances between them. Elvis was the powerhouse who reigned the charts for years and suddenly the Beatles came out of nowhere and took everyone’s attention. It was impossible for Elvis to ignore the situation and pretend nothing was happening. He was pushed to make a response given his standing in the industry which would ultimately keep him relevant. His rivalry with the Beatles, though heated, was quite common for the music industry for that time. It’s said that Elvis himself took it surprisingly well all considered, he just wanted to stay on top.
Criticisms on Elvis’ Behaviour
Many have taken issue with Elvis’s jealousy and passive-aggression with the Beatles. Although it was normal for the industry, many think it could’ve been handled differently. Critics see the rivalry as a dispute between art and commercial interests. Elvis was mainly the face of commercialism and the Beatles represented art and new movements. This was a hard battle to win as attention was constantly taken away from Elvis and given to the Beatles as the industry kept evolving.
Elvis had every right to be jealous but his reaction should’ve been more understanding and less aggressive. Although the attention eventually faded from the status the Beatles had with their debut, the way Elvis had reacted hindered their
