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Elvis Ate America

created by DyRE

(idea) by DyRE (2.8 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 1 C! Sun Oct 28 2001 at 23:57:46

"Elvis Ate America" is the eleventh song on Passengers' Original Soundtracks 1 (Passengers is Brian Eno and U2). There's a short paragraph describing the film "Elvis Ate America" was supposedly made for, though like the other song descriptions, most of these, including the one for this song, are made up by Brian Eno (the films don't really exist and many of their titles are inside jokes amongst Passengers). The description for this song is as follows:

After finishing 'Popcorn', his first film, in 1978, Jeff Koons continued his emerging exploration of pop iconography with the now legendary "Elvis Ate America" - a four minute work using a fragment of super 8 footage shot by the teenage Koons at one of Presley's Las Vegas 'Rhinestone' concerts in the early seventies. The final edit of the film was destroyed by fire but Koons is considering remaking it.

The song sounds completely out of place with the other songs on Original Soundtracks 1. Most of Passengers' songs are heavy on a film soundtrack feel and the overall tone of the album is very ambient. "Elvis Ate America," on the other hand, stands out from this the moment it begins. The song starts off with Howie B yelling out "El-vis!" and he continues to do so after each line that Bono sings, describing the King. "Elvis Ate America" is well summed-up wacky fun.

U2 makes a similar weird/fun standing out song situation a few years later with a "Anarchy in the USA" on the soundtrack to The Million Dollar Hotel. In opposition to the rest of the soundtrack, "Anarchy in the USA" is a loud, obnoxious Spanish version of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK."

"Elvis Ate America" was written by Brian Eno, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr., and Howie B (who also engineered it). The vocals are sung by Bono except for this one voice that repetitively shouts "Elvis!" which is that of Howie B. The song is three minutes long.


printable version
chaos

The dingo's got my baby! Velvet Elvis The night I spoke with Elvis Things I had not seen before coming to America
Johnny Cash Hurricane Elvis Alec Empire vs Elvis Presley white niggers
trash in the shape of America Fat Elvis Syndrome Jesus versus Elvis Fool's Gold Loaf
Brian Eno Jeff Koons Eddie Clontz Rush Limbaugh
The king is dead, long live the king draft dodger Memphis Mafia The Nixon-Presley Meeting
Werewolf Experience Number 3 - 1954 Mortal Kombat 2 Desist Gaelic
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