Our Music of the Week is another Elvis selection, and it is an iconic song from a very special performance.

Elvis had recorded “Can’t Help Falling in Love” for his 1961 album and film Blue Hawaii and used it as a finale in all of his live concerts in the late 1960s and during the ‘70s.

One of his most notable concerts was the Aloha from Hawaii performance in Honolulu in January of 1973, the first concert by a single artist to be live broadcast via satellite to a global audience. The performance was viewed in 40 different countries worldwide and seen by over 1.3 billion people—a mind-boggling reach.

This concert, at the time, had more people watching than any other performance in the history of Western civilization. Elvis was at the pinnacle of his career. The impact that Elvis had, especially through this event, was both astonishing and “scary” if seen from the point of view of the intelligence agencies, central bankers, and those who “run the world.” One wonders if it contributed to his divorce and the demise of his health in 1973 through his early death only a few years later: No one man should have that much impact and power to move the souls of people! Such natural charisma and an innate ability to connect with people is scary to those who seek to be in control.

The song has been covered numerous times by many groups and artists, but this 1973 performance by Elvis wearing the “American Bald Headed Eagle” jumpsuit is the most iconic and has become a part of our collective cultural memory.

Related:

About the Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite concert on Wikipedia

Songfacts about “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis Presley

Full 1973 Aloha from Hawaii concert starring Elvis Presley


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6 Comments

  2. Just watched the film called “Elvis” w/ Tom Hanks etc. Very interesting insight into the real man/child and the whys of it all. I knew he had roots in gospel and blues, but didn’t realize how deep they went. Elvis was caught between the old worlds of horrible segregation and the promise of change which was destroyed with the assasinations of MLK, jr. and Bobby Kennedy. He was captured and destroyed by duplicious Hollywood/Vegas moguls and the scoundrel “Cornell Parker” – a grifter of european origin. He was manipulated by the same horrible doctors who filled Marilyn Monroe and Mario Lanza with drugs. The tragedy is that the US, and maybe the entire world, seems to eat its young, especially the most talented and fragile. Goya’s painting says it best.

  3. Thanks for connecting the dots! I didn’t realize he was the first artist to broadcast live to 1.3B people. The conjecture makes sense and reminds me of the movie I believe Solari recommended some years ago: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke. Worth watching for those who have not seen it.

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