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Elvis Presley was a cultural shock during the 1950s. His energetic rock n’ roll brand was controversial amongst mainstream audiences, as his soulful voice combined with his swinging hips was considered scandalous at the time. He took America by storm but also intrigued young musicians across the pond in the U.K. Elton John recalled seeing Elvis for the first time and thinking he was unlike anything he’d ever seen. 

Elton John said he thought Elvis Presley looked like an alien when he first saw him

While Elvis wasn’t the first musician to introduce audiences to rock music, audiences were so taken by his look and performing style. Many had not been exposed to his slick black hair and Memphis flair, especially those in other countries. 

Elton John first heard Elvis growing up in England when his mother brought “Heartbreak Hotel” home from the record store. In an interview with The Guardian, John recalled when he and his mother experienced something new. 

“My mum always used to buy a record every Friday,” John said. “She came home, and she had the 78 of Elvis Presley, and she said, ‘I heard this in the record shop, and I’ve never heard anything like it!’ She played it to me, and I’d never heard anything like it either.”

The “Bennie and the Jets” singer said this wasn’t the first time he’d been exposed to the king of rock. He said he previously saw a picture of Elvis in a magazine but didn’t know who he was. When he saw him, he thought he looked like a handsome “alien.”

“It was weird because, about ten days before, I’d had my hair cut in the local barbers, where I went as a little boy, and I’d noticed a Life magazine,” he continued. “I was reading this article on a man who looked like an alien but was so handsome – I’d never seen anything like him, and I put two and two together and said, ‘That was the man I saw in the magazine!’ So that was the record that really changed everything.”

John had a ‘sad’ encounter with Presley later in his career

In the 1970s, Elton John joined Elvis Presley in becoming one of the most famous musicians in the world. While not as influential as the American star, John still topped the charts worldwide and played for sold-out arenas. His fame garnered him incredible opportunities many could never get, including meeting Elvis. 

In 1976, John and his mother attended an Elvis concert in Maryland. At the time, Elvis’ health was waning as years of drinking, drugs, and exhaustion had taken their toll. In an interview with Oprah, John recalled how sad it was to see his hero like that. 

“It [the meeting] was so sad because he turned into this big man with no eyes,” John shared. “They had sunk into the back of his head, and it was pathetic.”

In the book Captain Fantastic by Tom Doyle, John recalled still finding the experience “magical,” even if his idol looked nothing as he imagined. John dealt with his own substance abuse issues, but he eventually took the road to sobriety and is doing better today. He recently finished his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour and is looking forward to enjoying more time with his partner, David Furnish, and their two children. 

How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

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