Elvis Presley was born in 1935 in Mississippi, the state with the highest colored population in the United States. He was the first to incorporate black gospel, blues, and soul music into pop music in the 1950s, and he blended it with American folk music to develop rock and roll, which is his greatest contribution to music and has a discernible direct influence that will last more than a century.
The film depicts a young Elvis Presley being shocked by colored music. The scene is highly symbolic, and it also foreshadows the film's involvement in the peak of the black civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s. The lightning symbol on young EP's chest is another spiritual totem of the King: the symbol of DC superhero Shazam. This is also the most exciting part of the film.
When Michael Jackson was born in 1958, Elvis Presley's music was already gaining popularity in the United States. When young MJ toured the country with his family, Elvis had already conquered the world. It's not an overstatement to say that MJ grew up listening to EP's music.
During MJ's childhood, rock and roll, which EP pioneered, had already spawned and developed hundreds of sub-genres. MJ's musical style began to lean towards disco, funk, and pop.
In 1957, EP's "Jailhouse Rock" broke ground in music, dance, and singing, which had already been established and continuously influenced the world through Hollywood musicals since the 1920s. Because of the groundbreaking nature of rock music, EP also became the founder of modern pop music's important medium, the music video. Twenty years later, MJ took over the reins.
In the 1950s, his "Jailhouse Rock" had a profound influence on MJ. Although MJ's pinnacle works "Billie Jean," "Smooth Criminal," and "Dangerous" represent the ultimate transformation of rock, their core style derives from 1950s black films.
In the end of the movie, EP had only two years left. The background broadcast mentioned MJ's residency at the MGM Grand Hotel, indicating that MJ was now in direct competition with EP. This is a clear symbol that MJ takes over from EP and represents the passing of the torch from the first generation of rockers, represented by EP.
In 1995, EP had been gone for 18 years. MJ and Lisa, the daughter of his first wife, performed "You Are Not Alone" together. Love is real, even if it is destined to be shorter than life. The R&B style is full of nostalgia for the inner soul of black music, the blues. Even if no one can surpass EP, his era is destined to end.
EP and MJ share a common soul. The energy of their lives was exhausted because their brilliance was too dazzling and had to be transformed into another form, that is, music. Looking up at the starry sky, EP and MJ are the most brilliant twin stars. Nowadays, EP and MJ's global record sales have exceeded 300 million each. MJ is slightly ahead, ranking second globally, and EP third.
TBC…
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