美国国家公共电台 NPR 40 Years After His Death, Elvis Presley Still Draws Large Crowds

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Tens of thousands of people attended a candlelight vigil in Memphis, Tenn., last night. But it wasn't an entirely¹ somber² event.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SAVED")

ELVIS PRESLEY: (Singing) Well, I can preach until you're deaf and dumb. I'm in the soul saving army...

CORNISH: It was in commemoration of the king of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley, who passed away 40 years ago today. He died unexpectedly in his Graceland home. He was 42.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Elvis is still the reigning³ king. To this day, he holds the record for the most top 40 hits - 114 total. He won his first gold record in 1956 for "Heartbreak Hotel."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HEARTBREAK HOTEL")

PRESLEY: (Singing) Well, since my baby left me, well, I found a new place to dwell. Well, it's down at the end of Lonely Street at Heartbreak Hotel.

SIEGEL: Before long, Presley secured legend status.

SHAWN KLUSH: Saying the words Elvis Presley, at that point it was almost like saying Chevy or Ford⁴ or football. You know what I mean? You just don't think somebody like that would pass away.

CORNISH: That's performer and lifelong Elvis fan Shawn Klush. He's built a career off of Elvis' memory, traveling the country and the world as an Elvis tribute artist.

SIEGEL: He draws crowds everywhere he performs. Recently he went to Chile.

KLUSH: So I went down there. And you go out and stand out on the stage and there's 12,000 people in the audience. But man, I'll tell you what - son of a gun if I didn't get on stage and "In The Ghetto⁵" starts and they sang it right back to me in English. I mean, that's - I felt a little embarrassed, almost, as if it shouldn't be me receiving these accolades⁶. It should have been him.

SIEGEL: He says it's been more than just the music that keeps fans clambering to pay their respects. Elvis had something truly special.

KLUSH: Some musicians and entertainers have a certain quality. You know, one will have good looks. One will have a great voice. One will have this. He was the only guy that had it all.

CORNISH: As for the real Elvis, his rock star persona was a lot even for him. When asked in a 1972 press conference about it, he said this.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

PRESLEY: Well, the image is one thing, and a human being is another, you know? So...

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: How close does the image come to the man you really are?

PRESLEY: It's very hard to live up to an image. I'll put it that way.

SIEGEL: But for thousands and thousands of fans, that image is as close as they'll ever get to him.

CORNISH: Well, the image and, of course, the voice.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOUND DOG")

PRESLEY: (Singing) You ain't nothing but a hound dog, crying all the time. You ain't nothing but a hound dog, crying all the time. Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit, and you ain't no friend of mine. Well, they said you was high-classed. Well, that was just a lie.

1 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

2 somber   

adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
• His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

3 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

4 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

5 ghetto   

n.少数民族聚居区，贫民区

参考例句：

• Racism and crime still flourish in the ghetto.城市贫民区的种族主义和犯罪仍然十分猖獗。
• I saw that achievement as a possible pattern for the entire ghetto.我把获得的成就看作整个黑人区可以仿效的榜样。

6 accolades   

n.（连结几行谱表的）连谱号( accolade的名词复数 )；嘉奖；（窗、门上方的）桃尖拱形线脚；册封爵士的仪式（用剑面在肩上轻拍一下）

参考例句：

• Unlike other accolades for literature which tend to value style or experimentation. 有别于其他偏重风格活实验性的文学奖项。 来自互联网
• Build your trophy room while amassing awards and accolades. 建立您的奖杯积累奖项和荣誉。 来自互联网