Elvis vs The Beatles
Posted: October 1st, 2025, 10:44 am
https://collider.com/elvis-presley-disl ... eir-songs/
In 1968, following his widely televised comeback special, several media outlets proclaimed Elvis Presley the most outstanding living music performer. The title of greatest music performer was not given without merit to the then 33-year-old. By the time of his tragic death in 1977 at the age of 42, Presley was already one of the best-selling solo artists of all time. To his credit, he has achieved seventeen number-one singles and eight number-one albums, starred in seventeen top-ten films, and won three Grammy Awards. This litany of accomplishments and many more meant that he was the perfect person to pass judgment on other musical acts. And when it came to The Beatles, Presley didn't hold back from voicing his strong disdain for the famous group.
The reason behind the King of Rock' n 'Roll's dislike for the British-born quartet had to do with their left-leaning political stance. Presley, who was a staunch conservative, even went so far as to inform then-President Nixon during an infamous meeting the two had in 1970 that: "The Beatles had been a real force for anti-American spirit..." and that "they came to this country, made their money, and then returned to England where they promoted an anti-American theme." According to a report in Far Out Magazine, the following year, Presley attended a tour of the FBI offices, where he informed FBI director J. Edgar Hoover that “The Beatles laid the groundwork for many of the problems we are having with young people by their filthy, unkempt appearances and suggestive music.”
In 1968, following his widely televised comeback special, several media outlets proclaimed Elvis Presley the most outstanding living music performer. The title of greatest music performer was not given without merit to the then 33-year-old. By the time of his tragic death in 1977 at the age of 42, Presley was already one of the best-selling solo artists of all time. To his credit, he has achieved seventeen number-one singles and eight number-one albums, starred in seventeen top-ten films, and won three Grammy Awards. This litany of accomplishments and many more meant that he was the perfect person to pass judgment on other musical acts. And when it came to The Beatles, Presley didn't hold back from voicing his strong disdain for the famous group.
The reason behind the King of Rock' n 'Roll's dislike for the British-born quartet had to do with their left-leaning political stance. Presley, who was a staunch conservative, even went so far as to inform then-President Nixon during an infamous meeting the two had in 1970 that: "The Beatles had been a real force for anti-American spirit..." and that "they came to this country, made their money, and then returned to England where they promoted an anti-American theme." According to a report in Far Out Magazine, the following year, Presley attended a tour of the FBI offices, where he informed FBI director J. Edgar Hoover that “The Beatles laid the groundwork for many of the problems we are having with young people by their filthy, unkempt appearances and suggestive music.”