By the time Elvis Presley began a relationship with the future Priscilla Presley, he was incredibly famous. His music and films had caused a stir around the world, and his future wife was well aware of who he was. A friend had even invited her to join an Elvis fan club. Priscilla declined, though. She saw an image of Elvis that she found shocking and lewd.
Priscilla Presley wasn’t impressed with Elvis when she first heard of him
In 1956, Priscilla became acquainted with Elvis as a public figure. Her father gave her one of his records, and she liked the music, though not nearly as much as many of her friends.
“I liked Elvis but not as fanatically as many of my girlfriends at Del Valley Junior High,” she wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “They all had Elvis T-shirts and Elvis hats and Elvis bobby sox and even lipstick in colors with names like Hound Dog Orange and Heartbreak Pink. Elvis was everywhere, on bubble-gum cards and Bermuda shorts, on diaries and wallets and pictures that glowed in the dark.”
One of her friends even ran a fan club, but Priscilla wanted no part of it. Her friend showed her a picture of Elvis signing a woman’s breasts, which Priscilla found distasteful.
“Obviously I’d heard of Elvis; one of my best friends had a fan club that you could join and she showed me the magazine, and when she showed me the inside,” Presley told Good Morning Britain (per The Daily Mail). “Elvis was signing this blonde woman across her breasts. I looked at that and [thought] there’s no way I could be a part of this fan club. It’s really gross.”
Priscilla Presley became more fond of Elvis when she saw him perform
Still, Priscilla thought Elvis’ music was good, and after seeing him perform on TV, she developed a crush.
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“Then I saw him on television on Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey’s Stage Show,” she wrote. “He was sexy and handsome, with his deep brooding eyes, pouty lips, and crooked smile. He strutted out to the microphone, spread his legs, leaned back, and strummed his guitar. Then he began singing with such confidence, moving his body with unbridled sexuality. Despite myself, I was attracted.”
While she knew Elvis was at the center of controversy because of his dancing, she preferred to believe the rumors that he was respectful.
He tried to impress her when they met
When Priscilla finished junior high, her family moved to Germany because of her father’s position in the military. Here, she met Elvis, who was also stationed there.
A man named Currie Grant invited Priscilla to a party because she said she was an Elvis fan. Here, he introduced her to the musician. After a brief conversation, Elvis performed, and Priscilla noticed him trying to catch her eye.
“I glanced up and saw Elvis trying to get my attention,” she wrote, adding, “I noticed that the less response I showed, the more he began singing just for me. I couldn’t believe that Elvis Presley was trying to impress me.”
Despite their significant age difference — she was 14 and he was 24 — the pair remained in contact and, eventually, began a relationship.
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