The American Dream: Elvis Presley's Dream

Elvis Presley's “dream” that he whispered into everyone's year in 1956 was that anyone can become anything they want to be if they work hard enough for it, even a highly successful music artist. Elvis proved this because he was born into a poor family and worked his way to becoming one of the most successful music artists of all time and arguably the most important figure in pop culture in the 20th century. “Elvis came into the world poor and cut-off from most of the benefits of life in America but not from the hopes and dreams that shape the American consciousness (Kelly & Hunt)”. This is an incredibly important statement because it shows us that even when you have nothing to start with, you still attain more if you can dream it. Elvis also showed that if you work hard, good things will come to you because “Elvis and his band were on the road constantly, also doing radio shows and some regional television (Elvis On the Road)”. He was touring so much that he even passed out at a show in Florida (Elvis On the Road). The hard work for him paid off, and when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, 25% of the country tuned in and Elvis …show more content…
When Elvis would sing he said he just did what felt natural to him (which was shaking his hips in a sexual way). To many, this was obscene and should not be allowed on television. At the same time, the baby boomer generation was becoming of age and saw Elvis as the coolest thing in the world. While many people thought Elvis was crazy for dancing the way he did, he made it into a cool thing to do and achieved the American Dream because of it. Elvis also combined black rhythm and blues with country which at the time nobody would have thought to do. Elvis showed America and the world that you just need to try something new and it could lead to bigger and better