Music listeners first heard of Elvis Presley when his smash, breakthrough song “Heartbreak Hotel” tore up the charts way back in 1956—and we still can’t help but listen to it—which leads us to fun fact number one: a newspaper story detailing a suicide inspired the hit tune.
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We know Elvis as the King of Rock and Roll or the King, but before he earned the prestigious title, he paid $4 to create his first record—for his mom. He titled the record “My Happiness”. (To think we give our mother’s cheesy homemade cards as gifts!)
In 1957, shortly after Elvis gained fame, the US army drafted the rockstar. He had to serve the army for two years! Would that ever happen to a celeb nowadays? Taylor Swift got kicked out of jury duty so... Anyways, during his time, he earned $78 per month, and he wasn’t allowed to take out money from his account, which encompassed $400,000 from his music.
However, his stint overseas wasn’t so bad! He ended up meeting his future wife, Priscilla Ann Presley, in Germany in 1959. At the time, he was 24, and she was just 14. They waited eight years to get married! But the relationship didn’t last long—the couple divorced in 1973.
When Elvis performed he always enjoyed changing up the lyrics. One night in Los Angeles, he switched "Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?" from “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” to "Do you look at your bald head and wish you had hair?" Want to find out more fun facts about Elvis? Get to know the King more by watching our video above.
