Elvis Presley is a Rock and Roll legend who changed the course of music for years to come. With his distinct voice, smooth and catchy tunes, and dancing moves that blew the ladies’ minds off, Elvis’ success was nothing but guaranteed.
He rose to fame in the mid-50s, a period when he dominated the music charts all over the world. Everyone was crazy for Elvis. Girls were listening and falling in love with him while the boys copied his looks and tried to be him.
However, as the 60s approached, Things were starting to change in the music industry, so how well did The King adapt?
Let’s learn some music history.
Was Elvis Presley Popular In The 60s?
While being the biggest star of the 50s, Elvis Presley was still popular in the ‘60s. He would continue to release more albums and star in more movies throughout the decade, cementing his legacy.
In 1958, he enlisted in the army and served for two years until coming home to Memphis in 1960. While this is by no means bad or wrong, people consider this move as a breaking point in his career.
We don’t know if he would be even more popular if he continued to make music through those years. However, we do know that there is another thing that hugely impacted both Elvis’ music career and the music world in general. That was the next big thing, The Beatles.
Elvis’ Musical Hits In The ‘60s
While he was still a popular singer, he had already peaked in the late 50 and the 1960s were the decade where his fame would start to fade. But just because he was losing popularity didn’t mean he was fading away.
Things were going great for Elvis, his songs were still being played on every radio station, people were going to his concerts, and he continued to sell millions of copies of his records.
In 1962, Elvis had a #2 song on the charts with “Return to Sender”, which was his highest charting song of that time. After this, he no longer dominated the billboard charts as before. Not until 1969 when he released his next big hit.
In 1969, the King of Rock and Roll regained his old glory and was yet again at the top of the world. That year, Elvis released “Suspicious Minds”, his first number-one song in 7 years, and proved that he is still as relevant as ever.
Elvis Presley’s Hollywood Career in the ‘60s
Elvis’ career in the 60s took a little turn. After coming back from his service in the military, Elvis tried a new career path in Hollywood. He was the main face in many movies and the artist behind a lot of movie soundtracks.
In the ‘60s alone, Elvis Presley starred in 21 movies and recorded as many soundtracks. During the majority of this decade, he seemed more focused on being a movie star rather than making an even bigger name for himself in the music industry.
“Blue Hawaii” was the movie that rocketed Elvis’ acting career. After that he continued to be one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, reaching his peak with “Viva Las Vegas”, which is Elvis Presley’s highest-grossing movie. In 1965, one year after the release of this movie, Elvis was the highest-paid star in Hollywood.
After all, with his fascinating presence, musical talent, and charm, Elvis had everything to become a star in the movie industry at that time. He knew that, and knowing that he was still making huge profits with his previous songs, testing the waters of Hollywood was a risk worth taking.
How Big Was Elvis In The ‘50s?
Elvis Presley was the biggest name in music in the 1950s, with nobody even close to him. He was THE star everyone was going crazy about.
His popularity in the 50s cannot be compared to anything else from today. It’s simply something that could only be experienced then, and according to older fans, it was magical. Michael Jackson is probably the only one who has reached similar popularity in a more modern time.
Elvis rose to fame mostly because of his looks and the new style of music he introduced. Music that influenced many, evergreen music that is still played today, music that earned him the huge title of “The King of Rock and Roll”.
Elvis Presley’s Fame In The ‘70s
Yes, Elvis Presley was still popular in the ‘70s. After dominating the world and topping the charts of both music and movies in the past two decades, Elvis came back at the end of the ’60s and became one of the most popular people in the 70s.
He wasn’t the same charismatic boy and his looks weren’t contributing to fame as much as before. However, his voice was still the same, and people absolutely loved it.
During these years, Elvis was commercially successful and attracted a lot of fans to his sold-out Las Vegas shows and concerts throughout the country.
While some may consider the 70s as Elvis’ best years, some older fans recall Elvis’ music being considered as “music for old people” and some say that being an Elvis fan back then was thought of as a joke. This just proves that music is very subjective and nothing else.
Final Thoughts on Elvis Presley’s Popularity
Elvis Presley is certainly one of the biggest names in music ever. With his looks and talent, Elvis made a name for himself that will always be a part of the history of music.
Being one of the first huge music icons everyone in the world was talking about, Elvis is a person who changed the entertainment world as a whole.
He was the biggest musician in the 50s, became a movie star in the 60s, and then came back in the 70s to remind the world who the King of Rock and Roll was. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what his most successful decade was. The most important thing is his legacy and the mark he left on the world.
There are very few people who are loved by multiple generations of fans around the world and Elvis Presley is one of them.
Elvis’ music will forever be popular and he will always be a relevant part of the entertainment world. People just can’t help falling in love with his music, and hopefully, this will continue to be the case for years to come.
