As 1957 wound to a close, Elvis Presley was twenty-two and a mega-star. He’d taken several steps during that year towards becoming the icon he’s remembered as today: earlier in 1957, he began dying his hair black and made his third appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show There he was filmed from the waist up, per censors, although by that time the sex appeal ship had sailed for Presley: already he’d been dubbed “Elvis the Pelvis.” He bought Graceland, his iconic Memphis mansion, and moved in with his parents in time for Christmas.
On December 20, Presley received the draft summons that sent him to Germany the following year. Though Presley apparently feared that the notice would sabotage his career, his image as soldier only bolstered his appeal, particularly because he’d been given the choice to enlist as Special Services and perform for troops. He chose to be a foot soldier instead. His time spent in the army was fateful in several ways. Presley grew dependent on barbiturates while serving–a habit which triggered later drug use and contributed to his early demise. But more positive, less personal changes ensued, too—the army made Presley a more flexible icon. Already established as smooth-talking, sharply-dressed rock ‘n’ roll royalty, Presley’s army career added ruggedness to his public image. News crews filmed Presley being sworn in and, three years later, discharged. Subsequently, stories about this time in his life figured him an American hero—not just a pop star.
When he was drafted, Presley’s single at the time, “Jailhouse Rock,” moved the singer away from his golden boy image into grittier territory. “Jailhouse Rock,” featured in one of his most successful movies, achieved fanatical acclaim in the second half of 1957. Aside from the generally seedy aesthetic the song cultivates to go along with its subject matter, it’s a miracle that “Jailhouse Rock” ever snuck by the censors at all—famously homoerotic lyric “Number 47 said to number 3/You’re the cutest jailbird I ever did see/I sure would be delighted with your company/Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me” made Presley’s unwholesome side exciting and sexy, and not in a “Love Me Tender” kind of way. The army similarly expanded the reach of Presley’s reign, confirming the heroism his deep bass and dance moves had always posited.
Check out the original video for “Jailhouse Rock” below:
