34 Years ago today, seminal indie blues-wave rock artist Elvis Presley passed away, leaving a gaping hole in Americana. Unlike current rock star martyrs, who prefer a swift and speedy exit, Elvis’s decline had been slow and painful and by the time he had perished, the singer was a shell of his former self. Regardless, his influence on music today is undeniable and as a result, we will take some time today to post some random covers of the King.
The first cover we’ll be writing about might be the most famous. English reggae band UB40 covered Elvis hit (I Can’t Help) Falling in Love for the supposed Sharon Stone thriller Silver, a movie that tried to take advantage of Sharon Stone’s popularity by having her masturbate in the bath while the other Baldwin brother (William) watches her from some sort of Big Brother station. The movie bombed. The cover, which took the traditional more romantic slower song and added horns and a beat, was a massive success. This track was pretty much a #1 hit all over the world.
UB40 will be playing the beer festival or casinorama at some point in the near future, if they haven’t already.