HAS THE KING LOST HIS CROWN? NOT QUITE

You’d think western civilisation had collapsed overnight. My advice? Get over it. I grew up loving Elvis’ music. I was born the same year he first set foot in Sam Phillips’ Sun studio in Memphis, and my first memory of music is that of a teenage neighbour belting out You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog! in 1956, when I was 3.

But this brouhaha? We haven’t heard this much racket over who’s No. 2 since Florida in 2000. It’s only numbers. Besides, Carey isn’t even No. 1 on the all-time list. She’s behind the Beatles, who scored 20 No. 1 hits from 1963 to 1970.

It took Elvis from 1956 to 1969, almost twice as long as the Beatles, to rack up all his chart-toppers, though 16 of those came in just six years from 1956 to 1962. His final No. 1, Suspicious Minds, came in 1969. Carey, on the other hand, has taken 18 years to reach the top of the heap.

Those who wish to cling desperately to numerical supremacy can take comfort in the fact that Presley still holds a comfortable lead on the list of Top 500 artists for albums and singles, as compiled by researcher Joel Whitburn. On his sliding scale, in which musicians get points for each recording that reaches No. 1, 2, etc., Elvis tops both. On the album ranking, Elvis racked up 17,309 points, ahead of Frank Sinatra (13,313), the Beatles (13,231) and all others. Carey was No. 91. Still, it’s only numbers.

Carey’s latest accomplishment doesn’t change the seismic impact Elvis had, and continues to have, on pop culture. The real measure of the man is how many other musicians since have seductively swayed their hips, playfully sneered an upper lip or refused to be bound within the confines of rock, blues, country, R&B or any single musical genre. That number is incalculable.

Need more proof? Ever seen a velvet Mariah painting? Me neither. Are couples racing to Vegas chapels to be wed by Mariah impersonators? I thought not. So, Elvis fans, worry not. The King’s place in history is secure, even if Carey manages to score another 18 No. 1 hits.
-Randy Lewis (LAT-WP)