Editing Elvis Presley (section)

=== 1968–1973: Comeback ===
==== ''Elvis'': the '68 Comeback Special ====
{{Main|Singer Presents...Elvis}}
[[File:Elvis Presley 68 Comeback Special.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Presley, wearing a tight black leather jacket with Napoleonic standing collar, black leather wristbands, and black leather pants, holds a microphone with a long cord. His hair, which looks black as well, falls across his forehead. In front of him is an empty microphone stand. Behind, beginning below stage level and rising up, audience members watch him. A young woman with long black hair in the front row gazes up ecstatically.|The [[Singer Presents...Elvis|'68 Comeback Special]] produced "one of the most famous images" of Presley;{{sfn|Keogh|2004|p=263}} taken on June 29, 1968, it was adapted for the cover of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' in July 1969{{sfn|Keogh|2004|p=263}}{{sfn|Rolling Stone|2009}}]]
Presley's only child, [[Lisa Marie Presley|Lisa Marie]], was born on February 1, 1968, during a period when he had grown deeply unhappy with his career.{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|p=171}} Of the eight Presley singles released between January 1967 and May 1968, only two charted in the top 40, none higher than number 28.{{sfn|Whitburn|2010|p=521}} His forthcoming soundtrack album, ''[[Speedway (album)|Speedway]]'', would rank at number 82. Parker had already shifted his plans to television: he maneuvered a deal with NBC that committed the network to finance a theatrical feature and broadcast a Christmas special.{{sfn|Kubernick|2008|p=4}}

Recorded in late June in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], California, the special, simply called ''Elvis'', aired on December 3, 1968. Later known as the ''[['68 Comeback Special]]'', the show featured lavishly staged studio productions as well as songs performed with a band in front of a small audience—Presley's first live performances since 1961. The live segments saw Presley dressed in tight black leather, singing and playing guitar in an uninhibited style reminiscent of his early rock and roll days. Director and co-producer [[Steve Binder]] worked hard to produce a show that was far from the hour of Christmas songs Parker had originally planned.{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|pp=293, 296}} The show, NBC's highest-rated that season, captured 42 percent of the total viewing audience.{{sfn|Kubernick|2008|p=26}} [[Jon Landau]] of ''Eye'' magazine remarked: <blockquote>There is something magical about watching a man who has lost himself find his way back home. He sang with the kind of power people no longer expect of rock 'n' roll singers. He moved his body with a lack of pretension and effort that must have made [[Jim Morrison]] green with envy.{{sfn|Hopkins|2007|p=215}}</blockquote> Marsh calls the performance one of "emotional grandeur and historical resonance".{{sfn|Marsh|2004|p=649}}

By January 1969, the single "[[If I Can Dream]]", written for the special, reached number 12. The [[NBC-TV Special|soundtrack album]] rose into the top ten. According to friend [[Jerry Schilling]], the special reminded Presley of what "he had not been able to do for years, being able to choose the people; being able to choose what songs and not being told what had to be on the soundtrack.&nbsp;... He was out of prison, man."{{sfn|Kubernick|2008|p=26}} Binder said of Presley's reaction, "I played Elvis the 60-minute show, and he told me in the screening room, 'Steve, it's the greatest thing I've ever done in my life. I give you my word I will never sing a song I don't believe in.{{'"}}{{sfn|Kubernick|2008|p=26}}

==== ''From Elvis in Memphis'' and the International ====
{{Listen|type=music|filename=Power of My Love.ogg|title="Power of My Love" |description=Beginning with his American Sound recordings, [[soul music]] became a central element in Presley's fusion of styles. Here, he revels in lyrics full of sexual innuendos.{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|p=277}}}}
Buoyed by the experience of the ''Comeback Special'', Presley engaged in a prolific series of recording sessions at [[American Sound Studio]], which led to the acclaimed ''[[From Elvis in Memphis]]''. Released in June 1969, it was his first secular, non-soundtrack album from a dedicated period in the studio in eight years. As described by Marsh, it is "a masterpiece in which Presley immediately catches up with pop music trends that had seemed to pass him by during the movie years. He sings country songs, soul songs and rockers with real conviction, a stunning achievement."{{sfn|Marsh|1980|p=396}} The album featured the hit single "[[In the Ghetto]]", issued in April, which reached number three on the pop chart—Presley's first non-gospel top ten hit since "Bossa Nova Baby" in 1963. Further hit singles were culled from the American Sound sessions: "[[Suspicious Minds]]", "[[Don't Cry Daddy]]", and "[[Kentucky Rain]]".{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|p=419}}

Presley was keen to resume regular live performing. Following the success of the ''Comeback Special'', offers came in from around the world. The [[London Palladium]] offered Parker {{US$|28,000|link=yes}} ({{Inflation|US|28000|1969|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) for a one-week engagement. He responded, "That's fine for me, now how much can you get for Elvis?"{{sfn|Gordon|2005|p=146}} In May, the brand-new [[Las Vegas Hilton|International Hotel]] in Las Vegas, boasting the largest showroom in the city, booked Presley for fifty-seven shows over four weeks, beginning July 31. Moore, Fontana, and the Jordanaires declined to participate, afraid of losing the lucrative session work they had in Nashville. Presley assembled new, top-notch accompaniment, led by guitarist [[James Burton]] and including two gospel groups, [[The Imperials]] and [[Sweet Inspirations]].{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|p=283}} Costume designer [[Bill Belew]], responsible for the intense leather styling of the ''Comeback Special'', created a new stage look for Presley, inspired by his passion for karate.{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|p=343}} Nonetheless, Presley was nervous: his only previous Las Vegas engagement, in 1956, had been dismal. Parker oversaw a major promotional push, and International Hotel owner [[Kirk Kerkorian]] arranged to send his own plane to New York to fly in rock journalists for the debut performance.{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|pp=346–347}}

Presley took to the stage without introduction. The audience of 2,200, including many celebrities, gave him a standing ovation before he sang a note and another after his performance. A third followed his encore, "Can't Help Falling in Love" (which would be his closing number for much of his remaining life).{{sfn|Gordon|2005|pp=149–150}} At a press conference after the show, when a journalist referred to him as "The King", Presley gestured toward [[Fats Domino]], who was taking in the scene. "No," Presley said, "that's the real king of rock and roll."{{sfn|Cook|2004|p=39}} The next day, Parker's negotiations with the hotel resulted in a five-year contract for Presley to play each February and August, at an annual salary of $1&nbsp;million.{{sfn|Guralnick|Jorgensen|1999|pp=259, 262}} ''[[Newsweek]]'' commented, "There are several unbelievable things about Elvis, but the most incredible is his staying power in a world where meteoric careers fade like shooting stars."{{sfn|Moyer|2002|p=73}} ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' called Presley "supernatural, his own resurrection".{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|p=287}} In November, Presley's final non-concert film, ''[[Change of Habit]]'', opened. The double album ''[[From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis]]'' came out the same month; the first LP consisted of live performances from the International, the second of more cuts from the American Sound sessions. "Suspicious Minds" reached the top of the charts—Presley's first [[Billboard Hot 100|U.S. pop number-one]] in over seven years, and his last.{{sfn|Whitburn|2010|pp=521–522}}

[[Cassandra Peterson]], later television's Elvira, met Presley during this period in Las Vegas. She recalled of their encounter, "He was so anti-drug when I met him. I mentioned to him that I smoked [[marijuana]], and he was just appalled."{{sfn|Stein|1997}} Presley also rarely drank—several of his family members had been alcoholics, a fate he intended to avoid.{{sfn|Mason|2007|p=81}}

==== Back on tour and meeting Nixon ====
Presley returned to the International early in 1970 for the first of the year's two-month-long engagements, performing two shows a night. Recordings from these shows were issued on the album ''[[On Stage (Elvis Presley album)|On Stage]]''.{{sfn|Stanley|Coffey|1998|p=94}} In late February, Presley performed six attendance-record–breaking shows at the [[Houston Astrodome]].{{sfn|Stanley|Coffey|1998|p=95}} In April, the single "[[The Wonder of You#Elvis Presley version|The Wonder of You]]" was issued—a number one hit in the UK, it topped the U.S. [[Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks|adult contemporary]] chart as well. [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM) filmed rehearsal and concert footage at the International during August for the documentary ''[[Elvis: That's the Way It Is]]''. Presley was performing in a jumpsuit, which would become a trademark of his live act. During this engagement, he was threatened with murder unless {{US$|50,000|link=yes}} ({{Inflation|US|50000|1970|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) was paid. Presley had been the target of many threats since the 1950s, often without his knowledge.{{sfn|Hopkins|2007|p=253}} The FBI took the threat seriously and security was increased for the next two shows. Presley went onstage with a [[Derringer]] in his right boot and a [[.45 caliber]] [[pistol]] in his waistband, but the concerts succeeded without any incidents.{{sfn|Hopkins|2007|p=254}}{{sfn|Stanley|Coffey|1998|p=96}}

''[[That's the Way It Is (Elvis Presley album)|That's the Way It Is]]'', produced to accompany the documentary and featuring both studio and live recordings, marked a stylistic shift. As music historian John Robertson noted, <blockquote>The authority of Presley's singing helped disguise the fact that the album stepped decisively away from the American-roots inspiration of the Memphis sessions towards a more middle-of-the-road sound. With country put on the back burner, and soul and R&B left in Memphis, what was left was very classy, very clean white pop—perfect for the Las Vegas crowd, but a definite retrograde step for Elvis.{{sfn|Robertson|2004|p=70}}</blockquote> After the end of his International engagement on September 7, Presley embarked on a week-long concert tour, largely of the [[Southern United States|South]], his first since 1958. Another week-long tour, of the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]], followed in November.{{sfn|Stanley|Coffey|1998|p=99}}
[[File:Elvis-nixon.jpg|alt=A mutton-chopped Presley, wearing a long velour jacket and a giant buckle like that of a boxing championship belt, shakes hands with a balding man wearing a suit and tie. They are facing camera and smiling. Five flags hang from poles directly behind them.|left|thumb|258x258px|Presley meets US President [[Richard Nixon]] in the [[White House]] [[Oval Office]], December 21, 1970]]
On December 21, 1970, Presley engineered a meeting with U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]] at the [[White House]], where he explained how he believed he could reach out to the [[hippie]]s to help combat the [[drug culture]] he and the president abhorred. He asked Nixon for a [[Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs]] badge, to signify official sanction of his efforts. Nixon, who apparently found the encounter awkward, expressed a belief that Presley could send a positive message to young people and that it was, therefore, important that he "retain his credibility".{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|pp=419–422}} Presley told Nixon that [[the Beatles]], whose songs he regularly performed in concert during the era,{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|pp=284, 286, 307–308, 313, 326, 338, 357–358}} exemplified what he saw as a trend of [[anti-Americanism]].{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|p=420}} Presley and his friends previously had a four-hour get-together with the Beatles at his home in [[Bel Air, Los Angeles|Bel Air]], California, in August 1965. [[Paul McCartney]] later said that he "felt a bit betrayed.&nbsp;... The great joke was that we were taking [illegal] drugs, and look what happened to him", a reference to Presley's early death linked to [[prescription drug abuse]].{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=192}}

The [[United States Junior Chamber|U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce]] named Presley one of its annual [[Ten Outstanding Young Americans|Ten Most Outstanding Young Men of the Nation]] on January 16, 1971.{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|p=321}} Not long after, the City of Memphis named the stretch of [[U.S. Route 51|Highway 51 South]] on which Graceland is located "Elvis Presley Boulevard". The same year, Presley became the first rock and roll singer to be awarded the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] (then known as the Bing Crosby Award).{{sfn|McPhate|2017}}{{sfn|Guralnick|Jorgensen|1999|pp=299–300}} Three new, non-film Presley studio albums were released in 1971. Best received by critics was ''[[Elvis Country]]'', a [[Concept album|concept record]] that focused on genre standards.{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|p=319}} The biggest seller was ''[[Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas]]''. According to Greil Marcus, <blockquote>In the midst of ten painfully genteel Christmas songs, every one sung with appalling sincerity and humility, one could find Elvis tom-catting his way through six blazing minutes of "[[Merry Christmas Baby]]", a raunchy old [[Charles Brown (musician)|Charles Brown]] blues.{{nbsp}}[...] If [Presley's] sin was his lifelessness, it was his sinfulness that brought him to life.{{sfn|Marcus|1982|pp=284–185}}</blockquote>

==== Marriage breakdown and ''Aloha from Hawaii'' ====
{{See also|Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite}}
[[File:Bill Elvis Paul.jpg|thumb|right|Presley (center) with friends [[Bill Porter (sound engineer)|Bill Porter]] (left) and [[Paul Anka]] (right) backstage at the [[Las Vegas Hilton]] on August 5, 1972]]
MGM filmed Presley in April 1972 for ''[[Elvis on Tour]]'', which went on to win the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary Film]] for [[30th Golden Globe Awards|that year's Golden Globe Awards]]. His gospel album ''[[He Touched Me (album)|He Touched Me]]'', released that month, would earn him his second [[Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance]]. A fourteen-date tour commenced with an unprecedented four consecutive sold-out shows at New York's [[Madison Square Garden]].{{sfn|Guralnick|Jorgensen|1999|p=308}} The evening concert on July 10 was issued in LP form a week later. ''[[Elvis: As Recorded at Madison Square Garden]]'' became one of Presley's biggest-selling albums. After the tour, the single "[[Burning Love]]" was released—Presley's last top ten hit on the U.S. pop chart. "The most exciting single Elvis has made since 'All Shook Up{{'"}}, wrote rock critic [[Robert Christgau]].{{sfn|Marcus|1982|p=283}}

Presley and his wife had become increasingly distant, barely cohabiting. In 1971, an affair he had with Joyce Bova resulted—unbeknownst to him—in her pregnancy and an abortion.{{sfn|Williamson|2015|pp=253–254}} He often raised the possibility of Joyce moving into Graceland.{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|pp=451, 446, 453}} The Presleys [[marital separation|separated]] on February 23, 1972, after Priscilla disclosed her relationship with [[Mike Stone (karate)|Mike Stone]], a karate instructor Presley had recommended to her. Priscilla related that when she told him, Presley "forcefully made love to" her, declaring, "This is how a real man makes love to his woman".{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|p=456}} She later stated in an interview that she regretted her choice of words in describing the incident, and said it had been an overstatement.{{sfn|Marsh|2015}} Five months later, Presley's new girlfriend, [[Linda Thompson (actress)|Linda Thompson]], a songwriter and one-time Memphis beauty queen, moved in with him.{{sfn|Hopkins|2007|p=291}} Presley and his wife filed for divorce on August 18.{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|p=474}} According to Joe Moscheo of the Imperials, the failure of Presley's marriage "was a blow from which he never recovered".{{sfn|Moscheo|2007|p=132}} At a rare press conference that June, a reporter had asked Presley whether he was satisfied with his image. Presley replied, "Well, the image is one thing and the human being another&nbsp;... it's very hard to live up to an image."{{sfn|Keogh|2004|pp=234–235}}

[[File:Graceland 2010-12-18 Memphis TN 39.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|right|alt=High-collared white jumpsuit resplendent with red, blue, and gold eagle motif in sequins|Presley came up with his outfit's eagle motif, as "something that would say 'America' to the world"{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|p=478}}]]
In January 1973, Presley performed two benefit concerts for the [[Kui Lee]] Cancer Fund in connection with a groundbreaking television special, ''[[Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite|Aloha from Hawaii]]'', which would be the first concert by a solo artist to be aired globally. The first show served as a practice run and backup should technical problems affect the live broadcast two days later. On January 14, ''Aloha from Hawaii'' aired live via satellite to prime-time audiences in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as to U.S. servicemen based across Southeast Asia. In Japan, where it capped a nationwide Elvis Presley Week, it smashed viewing records. The next night, it was simulcast to twenty-eight European countries, and in April an extended version aired in the U.S., receiving a fifty-seven percent share of the TV audience.{{sfn|Hopkins|2002|pp=61, 67, 73}} Over time, Parker's claim that it was seen by one billion or more people{{sfn|Hopkins|2002|p=73}} would be broadly accepted,{{sfn|Victor|2008|p=10}}{{sfn|Brown|Broeske|1997|p=364}}{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|p=475}} but that figure appeared to have been sheer invention.{{sfn|Fessier|2013}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sun |first=Bruce Fessier |title=Director remembers landmark Elvis Presley performance |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/05/10/elvis-presley-aloha-from-hawaii/2151617/ |access-date=August 12, 2024 |website=USA Today |language=en-US |quote=Those figures now seem dubious. Aloha was transmitted to 38 nations, the combined populations of those countries was 1.3 billion. The Guinness Book of World Records says the largest TV audience for a performance was the 1993 Super Bowl halftime show by Michael Jackson, which drew 133.4 million viewers.}}</ref> Presley's stage costume became the most recognized example of the elaborate concert garb with which his latter-day persona became closely associated. As described by [[Bobbie Ann Mason]], "At the end of the show, when he spreads out his American Eagle cape, with the full stretched wings of the eagle studded on the back, he becomes a god figure."{{sfn|Mason|2007|p=141}} The [[Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite (album)|accompanying double album]], released in February, went to number one and eventually sold over 5 million copies in the U.S.{{sfn|RIAA|2010}} It was Presley's last [[Billboard 200|U.S. number-one pop album]] during his lifetime.{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|pp=422–425}}

At a midnight show that same month, four men rushed onto the stage in an apparent attack. Security personnel came to Presley's defense, and he ejected one invader from the stage himself. Following the show, Presley became obsessed with the idea that the men had been sent by Mike Stone to kill him. Though they were shown to have been only overexuberant fans, Presley raged, "There's too much pain in me&nbsp;... Stone [must] die." His outbursts continued with such intensity that a physician was unable to calm him, despite administering large doses of medication. After another two full days of raging, [[Red West]], his friend and bodyguard, felt compelled to get a price for a [[contract killing]] and was relieved when Presley decided, "Aw hell, let's just leave it for now. Maybe it's a bit heavy."{{sfn|Guralnick|1999|pp=488–490}}