Be Yourself

The Beatle’s song, A Day in the Life, starts with, “I read the news today – oh, boy….”

 Ok, so did I. Today there was a headline discussing the fact that Elvis got his first guitar when he was 11 years old, which he made do with until becoming successful. Eventually, as we know, he went on to became the king of rock ‘n’ roll. He launched his career by doing singing and later being in movies. He also collected more guitars and other material possessions as fame and money grew.

 These are interesting facts but in pondering the man, I asked myself what it was about his personality that resonated with so many people? What was the magic he brought that drove fans crazy with admiration and longing to be around him? Of course there was his music, good looks and moves that made one giddy with thoughts of passion and desire. And he had enough charisma to make your knees shake and want to sway along with him in a music frenzy of excitement.

The bottom line is that he had “it”, something drawing people like a magnet when he belted out the blues with a rockabilly sound and voice like honey as he sang. He led the way for other musicians, while retaining his own style and sense of self. He blended in with, but also broke out of, the stereo typical mold in the music industry to create his own version of self. He was an original.