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.
House of Sand
Elvis Presley Lyrics
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And build a castle on the beach
And though you mold it and you plan
Still you got nothing in your reach
One little slip and it tumbles down
One wrong step and it crumbles all around
Like a house without love, that's sure to fall apart
You can build a tower of clay
But if you ask my advice
Well it is worthless as I say
I got no heart it's cold as ice
One little slip and it tumbles down
One wrong step and it crumbles all around
Like a house without love, that's sure to fall apart
A house of sand is an empty work of art
One little slip and it tumbles down
One wrong step and it crumbles all around
Like a house without love, that's sure to fall apart
A house of sand is an empty work of art
A house of sand is an empty work of art
A house of sand is an empty work of art
The lyrics of Elvis Presley's song "House of Sand" speak about the importance of building a foundation of love and compassion rather than just material possessions. Using imagery of a sandcastle and a tower of clay, Presley highlights the fragility of material objects and how they can crumble with one wrong step or mistake. He remarks that despite our best efforts in molding and planning, material things will ultimately leave us feeling empty and unfulfilled. In contrast, building a foundation of love and kindness provides a strong and lasting structure.
Presley's lyrics show that the physical structures we create are only temporary and will eventually be washed away or destroyed. However, if we focus on building emotional and spiritual foundations, they will last a lifetime. The metaphor of a house of sand underlines the idea that without a foundation of love and compassion, our lives can easily crumble and fall apart.
In conclusion, Elvis Presley's "House of Sand" reminds us of the importance of focusing on love, compassion, and kindness in building our foundations rather than just material success. The song urges us to look beyond our physical surroundings and find something more meaningful to build our lives upon.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh you can take a whole lot of sand
You have the power to gather sand in large amounts
And build a castle on the beach
With that sand, you can construct an impressive palace by the shore
And though you mold it and you plan
Even if you shape and strategize its structure
Still you got nothing in your reach
You don't have anything real or substantial to hold onto
One little slip and it tumbles down
One small error and everything crumbles apart
One wrong step and it crumbles all around
A single misstep and the whole thing collapses
Like a house without love, that's sure to fall apart
Just as a house without affection will disintegrate
A house of sand is an empty work of art
Building a palace out of sand is a hollow, artistic venture
You can build a tower of clay
You also have the ability to construct a tower from mud
But if you ask my advice
But if you heed my suggestion
Well it is worthless as I say
I consider it to be futile and of no value
I got no heart it's cold as ice
I fail to have empathy or warmth; I'm profoundly coldhearted
A house of sand is an empty work of art
Constructing a sand building is a meaningless artistic expression
One little slip and it tumbles down
A small mistake can bring the entire structure down
One wrong step and it crumbles all around
A single misstep can cause the entirety of it to become destroyed
Like a house without love, that's sure to fall apart
Similar to a building without caring that's certain to separate
A house of sand is an empty work of art
A sand structure is an artistic creation devoid of meaning or substance
A house of sand is an empty work of art
A sand castle is a pointless, artistic endeavor
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE BAUM, BILL GIANT, FLORENCE KAYE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sylvain vertez
great, love these old Elvis movies
Mete Buyuran
Terrible period of Elvis.