Being Elvis
A Lonely Life
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Being Elvis
Buy Now for $37.83
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Russell Bentley
-
Written by:
-
Ray Connolly
About this listen
The perfect companion to Baz Luhrmann's forthcoming biopic Elvis, a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks and Austin Butler.
What was it like to be Elvis Presley? What did it feel like when impossible fame made him its prisoner? As the world's first rock star there was no one to tell him what to expect, no one with whom he could share the burden of being himself—of being Elvis.
On the outside he was all charm, sex appeal, outrageously confident on stage and stunningly gifted in the recording studio. To his fans he seemed to have it all. He was Elvis. With his voice and style influencing succeeding generations of musicians, he should have been free to sing any song he liked, to star in any film he was offered, and to tour in any country he chose.
But he wasn't free. The circumstances of his poor beginnings in the American South, which, as he blended gospel music with black rhythm and blues and white country songs, helped him create rock and roll, had left him with a lifelong vulnerability. Made rich and famous beyond his wildest imaginings when he mortgaged his talent to the machinations of his manager, 'Colonel' Tom Parker, there would be an inevitable price to pay. Though he daydreamed of becoming a serious film actor, instead he grew to despise his own movies and many of the songs he had to sing in them. He could have rebelled. But he didn't. Why? In the Seventies, as the hits rolled in again, and millions of fans saw him in a second career as he sang his way across America, he talked of wanting to tour the world. But he never did. What was stopping him?
Being Elvis takes a clear-eyed look at the most-loved entertainer ever, and finds an unusual boy with a dazzling talent who grew up to change popular culture; a man who sold a billion records and had more hits than any other singer, but who became trapped by his own frailties in the loneliness of fame.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2016 Ray Connolly (P)2022 Weidenfeld & NicolsonYou may also enjoy...
-
Baby, Let's Play House
- Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him
- Written by: Alanna Nash
- Narrated by: Erin Spencer, Alanna Nash - Introduction
- Length: 27 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
Elvis Presley’s unbreakable stronghold on the psyche of women - and theirs on him - is the focus of this much-lauded book by Elvis expert, journalist, and Country Music Association Media Achievement Award winner Alanna Nash. Baby, Let’s Play House is the first ever Elvis book to focus solely on his complex relationships with women, starting with his mother, and including celebrities such as Ann-Margret, Cher, Raquel Welch, Barbara Eden, and Cybill Shepherd. Featuring many exclusive interviews, this book is a must-have collector’s item for fans of The King everywhere.
Written by: Alanna Nash
-
A Little Thing Called Life
- On Loving Elvis Presley, Bruce Jenner, and Songs in Between
- Written by: Linda Thompson
- Narrated by: Linda Thompson
- Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 11
Award-winning songwriter Linda Thompson breaks her silence, sharing the extraordinary story of her life, career, and epic romances with two of the most celebrated yet enigmatic modern American superstars - Elvis Presley and Bruce Jenner.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very interesting life
- By Maria Raposo on 2023-10-17
Written by: Linda Thompson
-
Last Train to Memphis
- The Rise of Elvis Presley
- Written by: Peter Guralnick
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 22 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley is the first biography to go past that myth and present an Elvis beyond the legend. Based on hundreds of interviews and nearly a decade of research, it traces the evolution not just of the man but of the music and of the culture he left utterly transformed, creating a completely fresh portrait of Elvis and his world. This volume tracks the first 24 years of Elvis' life, covering his childhood, the stunning first recordings at Sun Records, and the early RCA hits.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great History of a the King
- By Jon4093 on 2021-12-01
Written by: Peter Guralnick
-
From Here to the Great Unknown
- A Memoir
- Written by: Lisa Marie Presley, Riley Keough
- Narrated by: Riley Keough, Julia Roberts
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 92
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 82
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 82
In 2022, Lisa Marie Presley asked her daughter to help finally finish her long-gestating memoir. A month later, Lisa Marie was dead, and the world would never know her story in her own words, never know the passionate, joyful, caring, and complicated woman that Riley loved and now grieved. Riley got the tapes that her mother had recorded for the book, lay in her bed, and listened as Lisa Marie told story after story about smashing golf carts together in the yards of Graceland, about the unconditional love she felt from her father, about being upstairs, just the two of them.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting yet fast moving.
- By Glenda Laberge on 2024-12-15
Written by: Lisa Marie Presley, and others
-
Lost & Alone: Elvis Presley in His Own Words
- Written by: Geoffrey Giuliano
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Giuliano
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1
In this dynamic, hard-hitting audiobook, music biographer Geoffrey Giuliano examines the turbulent life and times of Elvis Presley. With an in-depth, insightful narration by the author as well as rare archival, unheard interviews, here is the perfect collection celebrating the king of rock for every dedicated fan, music historian, the media as well as all school, library, institutional, and university collections.
Written by: Geoffrey Giuliano
-
Elvis Presley: A Southern Life
- Written by: Joel Williamson
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 13 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
In Elvis Presley: A Southern Life, one of the most admired Southern historians of our time takes on one of the greatest cultural icons of all time. The result is a masterpiece: a vivid, gripping biography, set against the rich backdrop of Southern society - indeed, American society - in the second half of the 20th century.
Written by: Joel Williamson
-
Baby, Let's Play House
- Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him
- Written by: Alanna Nash
- Narrated by: Erin Spencer, Alanna Nash - Introduction
- Length: 27 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
Elvis Presley’s unbreakable stronghold on the psyche of women - and theirs on him - is the focus of this much-lauded book by Elvis expert, journalist, and Country Music Association Media Achievement Award winner Alanna Nash. Baby, Let’s Play House is the first ever Elvis book to focus solely on his complex relationships with women, starting with his mother, and including celebrities such as Ann-Margret, Cher, Raquel Welch, Barbara Eden, and Cybill Shepherd. Featuring many exclusive interviews, this book is a must-have collector’s item for fans of The King everywhere.
Written by: Alanna Nash
-
A Little Thing Called Life
- On Loving Elvis Presley, Bruce Jenner, and Songs in Between
- Written by: Linda Thompson
- Narrated by: Linda Thompson
- Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 11
Award-winning songwriter Linda Thompson breaks her silence, sharing the extraordinary story of her life, career, and epic romances with two of the most celebrated yet enigmatic modern American superstars - Elvis Presley and Bruce Jenner.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very interesting life
- By Maria Raposo on 2023-10-17
Written by: Linda Thompson
-
Last Train to Memphis
- The Rise of Elvis Presley
- Written by: Peter Guralnick
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 22 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley is the first biography to go past that myth and present an Elvis beyond the legend. Based on hundreds of interviews and nearly a decade of research, it traces the evolution not just of the man but of the music and of the culture he left utterly transformed, creating a completely fresh portrait of Elvis and his world. This volume tracks the first 24 years of Elvis' life, covering his childhood, the stunning first recordings at Sun Records, and the early RCA hits.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great History of a the King
- By Jon4093 on 2021-12-01
Written by: Peter Guralnick
-
From Here to the Great Unknown
- A Memoir
- Written by: Lisa Marie Presley, Riley Keough
- Narrated by: Riley Keough, Julia Roberts
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 92
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 82
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 82
In 2022, Lisa Marie Presley asked her daughter to help finally finish her long-gestating memoir. A month later, Lisa Marie was dead, and the world would never know her story in her own words, never know the passionate, joyful, caring, and complicated woman that Riley loved and now grieved. Riley got the tapes that her mother had recorded for the book, lay in her bed, and listened as Lisa Marie told story after story about smashing golf carts together in the yards of Graceland, about the unconditional love she felt from her father, about being upstairs, just the two of them.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting yet fast moving.
- By Glenda Laberge on 2024-12-15
Written by: Lisa Marie Presley, and others
-
Lost & Alone: Elvis Presley in His Own Words
- Written by: Geoffrey Giuliano
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Giuliano
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1
In this dynamic, hard-hitting audiobook, music biographer Geoffrey Giuliano examines the turbulent life and times of Elvis Presley. With an in-depth, insightful narration by the author as well as rare archival, unheard interviews, here is the perfect collection celebrating the king of rock for every dedicated fan, music historian, the media as well as all school, library, institutional, and university collections.
Written by: Geoffrey Giuliano
-
Elvis Presley: A Southern Life
- Written by: Joel Williamson
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 13 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
In Elvis Presley: A Southern Life, one of the most admired Southern historians of our time takes on one of the greatest cultural icons of all time. The result is a masterpiece: a vivid, gripping biography, set against the rich backdrop of Southern society - indeed, American society - in the second half of the 20th century.
Written by: Joel Williamson