ABSTRACT
During his lifetime, Elvis Presley’s image derived from the actual events of his career; in death, those real-life events have been collapsed into an image, or series of images. Further blurring the line between life and image are the plots of some of his films and the lyrics of some of his songs, which on the surface seem autobiographical. A familiarity with key events in Presley’s life and career not only facilitates an understanding of his films, television appearances, and music, but it also provides an understanding of how his image was constructed and why it had to evolve.
