The Enduring Popularity of Elvis Presley's Graceland Is a Monument to His Legacy
The home remains a pilgrimage site because Elvis is buried there and fans still file past his grave after 1982 tours began.
- Today, Graceland stands as a unique pilgrimage site in Memphis, with fans visiting decades after Elvis Presley's 1977 death. The property, designated a National Historic Landmark, maintains a connection between the singer and his home unprecedented in the 20th century.
- In 1957, Elvis purchased the large Classical revival home on about 14 acres of farmland, moving in with his mother, father, and grandmother. Later, his wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie joined him on Elvis Presley Boulevard.
- Musicians have immortalized the site, with Paul Simon recording an album titled "Graceland" in 1986 and Philadelphia punk band The Dead Milkmen writing a song about visiting. Bruce Springsteen recounted jumping the wall in the 1970s hoping to meet Elvis.
- After the home opened to tours in 1982, fans gained access to the gates and Elvis's grave site in the yard. Mourners originally gathered for a spontaneous vigil when Elvis died, establishing a tradition that continues drawing visitors.
- Marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, this site serves as part of a recurring series, "American Objects." Graceland remains a cultural touchstone demonstrating a lasting association between a celebrity and his home few others have achieved.
30 Articles
30 Articles
My Mother Lode
The enduring popularity of Elvis Presley’s Graceland is a monument to his legacy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Elvis Presley’s Graceland. Paul Simon sang about going there to ease an aching heart in 1986 on a Grammy-winning album titled, well, “Graceland.” A year later, Philadelphia punk band The Dead Milkmen wrote their own song about a trip to Graceland that was decidedly less reverent, with lyrics like, “Goin’ to...
The enduring popularity of Elvis Presley's Graceland is a monumen
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Elvis Presley’s Graceland. Paul Simon sang about going there to ease an aching heart in 1986 on a Grammy-winning album titled, well, “Graceland.” A year later, Philadelphia punk band The Dead Milkmen wrote their own song about a trip to Graceland that was decidedly less reverent, with lyrics like, “Goin’ to Graceland/It’s gonna be fun/We’ll get to see all Elvis’s guns.” Maybe Graceland is all things to all people. Elvis b…
The Toronto Star
The enduring popularity of Elvis Presley's Graceland is a monument to his legacy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Elvis Presley's Graceland.
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