Elvis Presley‘s Graceland home was his sanctuary from the rigors of the road, where friends gathered to enjoy life together. It was also a family home where Priscilla Presley and her husband lived. His nighttime hobby led Priscilla to make one change to their Graceland bedroom so Elvis wouldn’t hurt himself in the dark. What significant alteration did she make, and what was the reason for the switch?
Graceland is a mirror of Elvis Presley, the man
If one genuinely wants to understand Elvis, Graceland is where much of the veil of celebrity is lifted. From room to room, the abode is a mix of styles from the 1960s and 70s. All at once, it appears to be a luxury hotel and a light-filled place of abstract art. It has rooms that envelop one in comfort while others create a sense of fun.
Most of all, Graceland is about family. The family photographs around the home are a testament to what it appears Elvis was, most of all, a man who cared deeply for those he loved. It was where he lived with his wife Priscilla, their daughter Lisa Marie, his parents Gladys and Vernon, grandmother Minnie Mae, and other extended members of his clan.
Priscilla once spoke to Architectural Digest about the home, now a museum to her late husband’s life and career and the second most visited home after the White House. She said, “Elvis didn’t fit the mold; he marched to his drum. But when people walk in that front door, there is reverence, respect, a quietness. It’s as if his spirit is there. They come back time after time to experience him.”
However, within those rooms was an area that was off-limits to most, the couple’s bedroom, where Elvis had a hobby so overwhelming that Priscilla feared he would hurt himself in the dark. She had to make one significant change to ensure his safety.
Elvis Presley’s nighttime hobby caused Priscilla to worry he would get hurt
The king of rock and roll was a night owl and reversed his sleep patterns. Therefore, he would rest all day, begin his day later in the evening, and stay up all night. Others in his social circle were expected to behave similarly, including Priscilla.
She shared with The Guardian that Elvis loved reading books about religion and spirituality. He spent a better part of the evening reading and adding notes to the book’s margins.
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“We could come home at two o’clock in the morning or later, and he would go right to the books and start reading,” Priscilla said. “And he would read [out loud to me], and I would be so tired … and he would say, ‘you aren’t listening to me,’ and I would say [to myself], ‘OK, keep your eyes open.’”
However, so many books were piled around their bed that Priscilla had a cabinet maker construct pull-out bookcases underneath it to store them, she said in the interview. She feared he would injure himself in the dark otherwise.
The king of rock and roll’s bedroom remains a sanctuary for his daughter, Lisa Marie
In a YouTube interview, Lisa Marie revealed that Elvis’ bedroom is where she finds solace. At the 4:55 mark, she discusses Elvis’ private upstairs quarters.
“It’s the one place I feel the safest,” she admitted. “I keep the key for upstairs with me. Up there is just [Elvis’] room and my room. It was his sanctuary. I can shut that door and feel the safest and the calmest I can feel.”
Lisa Marie revealed the area remains “the same” as when Elvis left it on the fateful August 1977 evening when he went to the bathroom to read and died there. The king of rock and roll’s only child admitted: “Oh, it’s showy! It’s got a long shag carpet, a black bed, and red walls. Gold everything here and there.”
