The Downward Spiral

Elvis received several Grammy nominations in 1960 for “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” and the G.I. Blues album. He had a stack of gold records and recorded His Hand in Mine, an album of inspirational music. He also sang at a benefit concert in Hawaii in 1961. He would not perform publicly again for seven years.

Blue Hawaii was made while he was on location in Hawaii. Like many of his post-army movies, it is silly but harmless. These movies and the image of Elvis as a family-style entertainer represented quite a departure from his beginnings as a rock and roll rebel.

Elvis made twenty-six movies in the time from Blue Hawaii in 1961 to Change of Habit in 1969. He made thirty-three films in all; however, not one of these movies showcased Elvis in the dramatic role he longed to do. The films seemed to be showcases for uninspired popular music sold as movie sound tracks to keep the money coming in.

In the 1972 documentary film Elvis on Tour, Elvis said, “At a certain stage, I had no say-so in it. I didn't have final approval on the script, which means that I couldn't tell you, ‘This is not good for me’ … I don't think anyone was consciously trying to harm me. It was just Hollywood's image of me was wrong, and I knew it, and I couldn't say anything about it, couldn't do anything about it … I really took it as long as I could.”