S Poddar
On Friday, Priscilla Presley remembered the life of her late ex-husband, Elvis Presley, in a touching tribute to mark the 47th anniversary of his death. At age 79, a very emotional post was shared by Presley on Instagram, relaying just how much she had felt for the late musician. “47 years and not a day goes by that I don’t think of you,” she captioned the post, sharing it with an instrumental version of Elvis’s classic hit “Always On My Mind.”
It ended with a poignant black-and-white photograph of young Elvis, and then finally, on the screen, it read, “Elvis Aaron Presley, January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977.” It really showed, in such simple terms but so powerful, just how much of an impact Elvis has had on not only Priscilla but millions of fans still around to this day who hold him very dear.
“Always On My Mind,” which is practically on the same level as the career of Elvis, was first performed by the king on March 29, 1972, a day after singer Gwen McRae released her version. The timing of Elvis’s recording came weeks after he and Priscilla separated, and it was rumored that the marital turmoil between them was reflected in these very lines. Though the song’s writers—Wayne Carson, Mark James, and Johnny Christopher—have tried to straighten out that it was never intended for Elvis, the melancholy mood of the song and the troubled life at the time of the King of Rock and Roll have long-based fan assumptions.
The song was originally released as the B-side to “Separate Ways” in October 1972. Against all expectations, though, “Always On My Mind” turned out to be one of the much-loved Elvis songs in the 1970s. On the commercial front, it went on to sell over a million copies, hence earning a gold certification from the RIAA. This song also appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and peaked at number 16, November 1972. Having been released in the UK as an A-side, it became a top-10 hit in January 1973. Through the years, “Always On My Mind” was often performed by different artists, but it is Elvis’s version that served as its signature performance.
Her relationship with Elvis dates back as far as 1959, when she first met him while he served time in Germany. At the time, she was a stepdaughter to a military man. Their relationship blossomed over the years, leading to their marriage in May of 1967 and the birth of their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in February of 1968. Even though that marriage would end in divorce, the bond they shared and the legacy they created together lived on throughout the decades.
The tribute from Priscilla comes at a time when the Presley family is caught up in a pretty disturbing development. Lisa Jeanine Findley, a Missouri woman, also known as Lisa Holden, was arrested and charged earlier this month for the alleged attempt to defraud the Presley family by claiming that Lisa Marie Presley had incurred $3.8 million in indebtedness to a fraudulent private lender, using the Graceland mansion as collateral. State officials said that Findley threatened to sell Graceland to the highest bidder unless a $2.85 million settlement was reached with the Presley family.
According to the court documents, Findley falsified names, forged signatures, and notary seals in order to create fraudulent loan documents. She faces charges for mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, with the former liable for up to 20 years of imprisonment. As of now, Findley remains detained pending her next appearance in court.
The Memphis mansion that was once home to Elvis was converted into a museum and tourist attraction. Today it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Following Lisa Marie Presley’s death last year, her daughter, actress Riley Keough, inherited the ownership of Graceland, thus remaining the family’s link to the historic property. Priscilla Presley, as a strong champion guardian for Elvis’s legacy, has been an important figure in preserving the history and memory of the King of Rock and Roll.
While the world of fans remembers him on this day in the life of Elvis Presley, so Priscilla’s tribute calls to mind the great personal loss she and her family have endured but also the impact he has left behind on music and culture. He might have been gone for quite a while, yet the legacy of Elvis Presley stays, not only within his music, but also through memories and tributes from the people who loved him the most.
