Why Tom Petty Stopped Enjoying Elvis Presley’s Songs After 1964
Tom Petty was an Elvis Presley fan even when he felt it wasn’t cool to be an Elvis Presley fan. However, Petty felt another classic rock act eclipsed the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in 1964. Petty also said that Elvis’ output changed during that year. Regardless, Petty still named some of the tunes by the “All Shook Up” singer that he loved.
Tom Petty felt Elvis Presley’s songs took a nosedive
In the 2012 book Conversations With Tom Petty, Petty revealed he was an Elvis fan up to a point. “I was until ’64, and then Elvis was getting so s***** by then,” he said. “It had never been the music of my generation. I was an odd kid for even being interested in Elvis.
“So when The Beatles came, I lost interest in Elvis, because [The Beatles] were the music of my generation, and I was a huge record buff,” he recalled. “So I lost interest in Elvis, though I kind of felt an allegiance to him. I still went and saw those s***** movies for a while. But I knew the difference by then. It didn’t have the vitality that these new records did.”
The ‘Free Fallin” star started liking The Beatles more than Elvis Presley
Petty revealed his record-buying history. “The first LP I got was Elvis,” he said. “G.I. Blues, it was called. And that’s when I was probably eleven or twelve before I was playing music.”
G.I. Blues was the soundtrack of the film of the same title. The record includes a version of “Blue Suede Shoes” that is not Elvis’ most famous recording of the song. G.I. Blues also features “Wooden Heart,” which became a hit for Joe Dowell, and the kitschy tune “Pocketful of Rainbows,” which Danzig later covered.
Petty also discussed his history of buying Beatles albums. “But I remember when we got that Meet the Beatles! album,” he said. “Me and my brother talked my dad into buying it one night. That just blew my head off.” Meet the Beatles! features the early Fab Four classics “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and “All My Loving.” Meet the Beatles! is an essential Beatles album, while G.I. Blues is just another throwaway soundtrack from the King of Bad Movies. After buying Meet the Beatles!, Petty tried to buy every Beatles album he could.
Tom Petty named some of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll songs that inspired him
Despite all this, Petty recognized the importance of some Elvis songs. In a 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, he named some Elvis tunes that inspired him. They were “That’s All Right,” “Baby Let’s Play House,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” “Mean Woman Blues,” “One Night,” “Santa Claus Is Back in Town” (the best naughty Christmas song ever), “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “A Mess of Blues,” and “(Marie’s the Name) His Latest Flame.” All of these tracks predate 1964.
Petty is an Elvis fan he’s just not a fan of everything the “Don’t Be Cruel” singer did.
