Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, made him enormously popular—and controversial.
In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate, just 42 years of age.
Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, blues, and gospel, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. He won three competitive Grammys, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.
21
Elvis Presley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shake a-ring a jing -jing a-ling
Shake, shake my little dancin' queen
Shake that tambourine, that tambourine
I can hear them dancing, in the marketplace
Swishin' and a-swirlin', in their' silks and lace
Bracelets keep a-clinking, on their' tiny feet
Rings on their fingers, bells on their toes
They make music, wherever they go
Pound that little drum now, tap on it with your thumb
Shake, shake the little tambourine
Shake a-ring a-jing-a-ling-a-ling
Shake,shake my little dancin' queen
That tambourine, that tambourine
I heard their talent, open palace doors
Every night they're dancin', on those marble floors
Kings may bow before them, but they'll be my own
Then they'll shake their thing for me alone
Rings on their fingers, bells on their toes
They make music, wherever they go
Pound that little drum now, tap on it with your thumb
Shake, shake the little tambourine
Shake a-ring a-jing-a-ling-a-ling
Shake,shake my little dancin' queen
That tambourine, that tambourine
In "21", Elvis Presley sings about a group of dancing women in the marketplace who are entertaining people with the sounds of their tambourines. He marvels at how they keep the beat with their instruments and how their jewelry adds to the music. The women are so talented that even kings will bow before them, but Elvis wants them to dance for him alone.
The lyrics are a tribute to the beauty and skill of female dancers, and their ability to create music simply by using their bodies and tambourines. The song could also be seen as a nod to the exoticism of other cultures and how their music and dance can captivate those with a more Western musical background. Elvis' vocals convey the energy and excitement of watching the dancers perform and the desire to have their talents be exclusively his.
Overall, "21" is a toe-tapping, feel-good song that celebrates the power of music and dance to bring people together.
Line by Line Meaning
Shake... the little tambourine
Elvis is asking someone to shake the tambourine.
Shake a-ring a jing -jing a-ling
He is describing the sound the tambourine makes when shaken.
Shake, shake my little dancin' queen
He is referring to a female dancer, asking her to shake the tambourine.
Shake that tambourine, that tambourine
He reiterates his request for the tambourine to be shaken.
I can hear them dancing, in the marketplace
Elvis describes the scene of people dancing to the tambourine in the market.
Swishin' and a-swirlin', in their' silks and lace
He describes the way they dance, wearing silk and lace clothing.
Bracelets keep a-clinking, on their' tiny feet
He draws attention to the sound of their bracelets as they dance.
And with their tambourines they keep the beat
Elvis notes that the tambourines are important for keeping the rhythm of the dance.
Rings on their fingers, bells on their toes
He describes the dancers' accessories that make noise as they dance.
They make music, wherever they go
He emphasizes that the dancers make music wherever they are.
Pound that little drum now, tap on it with your thumb
He gives instructions on how to play the tambourine.
I heard their talent, open palace doors
He heard the dancers' talent that brought them to perform in the palace.
Every night they're dancin', on those marble floors
Elvis describes the setting of the dancers' performance, in the palace on marble floors.
Kings may bow before them, but they'll be my own
He is possessive over the dancers, saying that even though kings may admire them, they belong to him.
Then they'll shake their thing for me alone
He plans to have the dancers perform only for him.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Written by: BERNIE BAUM, BILL GIANT, FLORENCE KAYE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Ed Sullivan Show
🔔 Subscribe and turn on bell notifications for daily video updates! https://ume.lnk.to/EdSullivanSubscribe
shelley sprinkle
Lol
shelley sprinkle
Lol fr lol I'm one lol
Leahflower
It's funny how he was once the most popular guy ever and now it feels like he's making a "comeback" because of the movie about him
keetonplace
@Leahflower He's never stopped being popular, with 600,000 people visiting Graceland every year since 1978. Elvis in Concert traveling the world since 1997.
Jacobede Cruz
Best introduction ever! I just can't get enough of this moment when he joked about singing a sad song you NEVER heard before with BEAUTIFUL words hahaha. I love his sense of humor 😂
leokimvideo
This guy looks pretty cool and he's funny. He might make it big.
sirbilliam3455
I mean, I guess you could say he got really big.
Caleb Goodman
@M K i see what u did there
Finlaybiddlesden
You could be right the audience, mainly screaming women, seemed to like him…