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.
Poison Ivy League
Elvis Presley Lyrics
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Poison ivy league
The ra-ra boys are sitting round the table tonight
The ra-ra boys have lots of plans in view
They're gonna have panty raids
And make their own lemonade
They'll live it up just like the big boys do
Give me an itch, those sons of the rich
That poison ivy league
The ra-ra boys will go to bed so early tonight
Before exams they need a lot of rest
They gotta make good for dad
They gotta make good so bad
They'll even pay someone to take that test
Poison ivy league, boys in that ivy league
How can they flunk, they're so full of bunk
That poison ivy league
The ra-ra boys are being groomed for business some day
For better things to college they were sent
And you can bet they'll be the head of the company
As long as dear old daddy's president
Poison ivy league, boys in that ivy league
So loaded with cash, they give me a rash
That poison ivy league
So let it be told
I won't touch them with a ten foot pole
That poison Ivy league
The lyrics of Elvis Presley's song 'Poison Ivy League' takes a satirical aim at the Ivy League and their privileged and entitled students. At the opening, Elvis sings "Hail to thee old ivy league, poison ivy league" to extol the Ivy league prestige while hinting at the underbelly of the league. He then delves into the lifestyle of the ra-ra (rah-rah) boys who are the students of the Ivy league. He describes their leisure plans which include panty raids (stealing underwear of girls) and making their lemonade. He specifically calls out the sons of the rich for being the ones associated with the Ivy league.
Elvis then highlights the academic goals of these students - they strive to make good grades to please their dads and their high-earning careers, possibly with the help of cheating. He ends the verse stating that Ivy league's prestigious business degrees would eventually help them to become heads of their company, all thanks to their rich dads remaining as the president. The whole song is about the cynicism that comes with people who have it easy and how power flows through generations of the wealthy while poor people get left behind. 'Poison Ivy League' serves as a reminder to the students of Ivy League as they get overindulged in their gluttonous lifestyle, that all that money and luxury have a specific toxic element in them.
Line by Line Meaning
Hail to thee old ivy league
A greeting to the prestigious Ivy League universities
Poison ivy league
Referring to the corrupt nature of the privileged boys attending these universities
The ra-ra boys are sitting round the table tonight
The wealthy and entitled boys are gathered together for a night of privilege and planning
The ra-ra boys have lots of plans in view
The boys have multiple schemes they intend to execute
They're gonna have panty raids
They plan to invade women's dorms and steal their underwear
And make their own lemonade
They'll use their privilege to create and profit from new business ventures
They'll live it up just like the big boys do
The boys will enjoy the privileges of their wealth and social status
Poison ivy league, boys in that ivy league
The young men attending Ivy League universities are corrupted by their wealth and entitlement
Give me an itch, those sons of the rich
The privileged status of these boys brings discomfort to others
The ra-ra boys will go to bed so early tonight
They need adequate sleep to perform well on their exams and please their fathers
Before exams they need a lot of rest
They strive to maintain their perfect grades and uphold parental expectations
They gotta make good for dad
They are driven to succeed and make their fathers proud
They gotta make good so bad
Their desire to please their fathers drives them to an extreme extent
They'll even pay someone to take that test
They'll cheat in order to maintain their perfect grades
How can they flunk, they're so full of bunk
It is impossible for them to fail because of their entitlement
The ra-ra boys are being groomed for business some day
They are preparing to carry on the family legacy and take on leadership roles
For better things to college they were sent
Their families sent them to prestigious colleges to secure their future success
And you can bet they'll be the head of the company
They are destined for the top positions in their future careers
As long as dear old daddy's president
As long as their fathers are in charge, the boys will be guaranteed success
So loaded with cash, they give me a rash
The boys' excessive wealth and entitlement brings discomfort to others
So let it be told
The artist will spread the word of these corrupt Ivy League boys
I won't touch them with a ten foot pole
The artist refuses to have anything to do with these entitled and corrupted young men
That poison Ivy league
The Ivy League universities are seen as hubs for entitled and corrupt behavior
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE BAUM, BILL GIANT, FLORENCE KAYE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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