Tomorrow marks the thirty-sixth anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death.
I remember that day.
It was the summer before my 4th grade year.
I remember playing outside most of the day and coming in when it was time for dinner.
I remember sitting down at the table and the news was coming on in the living room.
I remember we hadn’t quite started eating, and I was chatting away when Momma ‘shushed’ me as she left the table and stood still and silent in front of the TV.
The reporter delivered the sad and shocking news.
I was stunned. Momma left the room in tears.

The world seemed to shift a little for me that summer.  Being nine years old, I was able to grasp some of the impact that his death had on the world of entertainment.
The reality, (my consciousness) of his death was inescapable because EVERYONE knew who he was and EVERYONE was talking about it.  In the days following, details emerged about the cause of death and the general sadness he was living at the time.
The heaviness in my heart lingered.

No one in my household was obsessed with Elvis but my parents certainly did enjoy his music. They used to put their Elvis albums on the old, console stereo in the living room, push the coffee table out of the way and dance like happy teenagers in love. I remember the Moody Blue album especially because the album itself was a beautiful, moody blue color.

But my friends, I did not write this post to re-visit the sadness.
I wrote this post to re-visit the joy, the reason he was so loved, HIS MUSIC!
(And If I’m truthful, I wrote this post so I could indulge in my own Top Ten list of Elvis songs.)
You saw that coming, right?

So here it is, a list of my favorite Elvis songs. And because I love to share the love with others, I’m including video links as well.
Go on and listen to a few. You know you want to. If you are short on time to listen or watch, I recommend #’s 2, 7, and 10.
And fear not. I have a literary reference for you at the end.

1. Not sure if it is “C C Rider” or “See See Rider”. It’s the intro that I remember liking so much. The video footage is delayed on this one.

htps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg_boIVjxpMt

2. Suspicious Minds.  Love this one!!  He’s a HAM on this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHisZ8ZtWr0

3. Moody Blue. The title track from that beautiful blue album my parents had.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCNfVmbBXHQ

4. Forever My Darling. Not as well known as other love songs from him but I always loved this one. Really sweet photos here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz00h3Wy-1A

5. In the Ghetto. Gosh, what a sad song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6am8V5KNJ4A

6. Kentucky Rain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8WfuBAThQc

7. I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You. Ya’ll, WATCH THIS ONE!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqhMopq5r6I

8. Blue Christmas. I know, it’s not really his song, but this one, and the next Christmas song have that whole Bluesy, Elvisy effect that he is so well known for. And I just like the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ODrPL9-kEs

9. Here comes Santa Claus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNy2AewxIYo

10. My Way. Again, I know this is Frank Sinatra’s tune but Elvis does a beautiful job with it. Actually, I prefer Elvis’ version to anyone else’s I’ve heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWStRiZ-OCM

All this AND I promised you a book recommedation.  So, if you want to read some Elvis fiction, check out Elvis Takes a Back Seat by Leanna Ellis. I read this a couple of years ago. It’s a fun story with yard sales, road trips, family secrets revealed and a bust of Elvis that needs to be returned to its rightful place.

So friends, do you have any favorite Elvis songs or memories? If so, I love to hear about it in the comments!

Have a great day everyone. And don’t step on my Blue Suede Shoes.