German fans still 'all shook up' over Elvis
Posted: Thursday, August 16, 2007 10:03 AM
Filed Under:
Mainz, Germany
By Andy Eckardt, NBC News Producer
It's "funny how time slips away." Elvis has – supposedly – been dead for 30 years now. But, he’s still rocking Germany where fans are "all shook up" this week with celebrations, exhibits and look-a-like festivals.
For the German media it seems like "it's now or never" to show old Elvis movies. While it might seem like a bit much, but there is a certain charm in seeing Mr. Presley speak German as a young cowboy in "Flaming Star" or with a flower lei around his neck in "Blue Hawaii."
 |
| Hannibal Hanschke / Reuters |
| Singer Grahame Patrick performs dressed as Elvis Presley during a show in Berlin August 15, 2007. |
The American superstar had a special link to Germany. Not only because of his interpretation of the German folk classic "Muss i denn, muss i denn...," but Elvis was of course stationed in Germany with the U.S. military from 1958 to 1960. And it was in Wiesbaden, Germany, that Presley met a 14-year-old girl named Priscilla Ann Wagner, who later became his wife in 1967.
A ‘fountain of love’ from German fans
His years as a soldier in the cities of Bad Nauheim and Friedberg, near Frankfurt, are still vividly remembered by many. "I recall that we used to line up for Elvis autograph sessions outside his house in Bad Nauheim. He always took time to meet with his fans," said Angelika Springauf in a German radio report.
Nearly 50 years later there was still awe in Springauf’s voice as she recalled, "he once gave me a lovely smile and gently touched my cheek. Oh, my girlfriends were so jealous." She apparently didn’t wash her cheek for a week after the momentous event and it was a moment in time she will always remember.
It seems that Elvis enjoyed "a fountain of love" during his days in Germany. He’s surrounded by female fans in most of the pictures and historic TV footage from the time.
In the quaint little town of Bad Nauheim, it was "big love big heartache" every day when young ladies back in the 50s wrote their phone numbers with lipstick on the typical German garden fence outside the king's villa. Aging German locals report that every night the wooden fence would be cleaned to make room for more love notes.
"Treat me nice" Elvis sang in 1957 and the American military listened. While his comrades lived in the army quarters at Ray Barracks in Friedberg, Elvis came home to his fancy house every night. In times of the Cold War, the American military made use of Presley's popularity, allowing "the king" to rule as an ambassador of "good America."
And the German car manufacturer Mercedes took advantage of the marketing opportunity as well – providing the American star with one of their vehicles for the duration of his stay.
SLIDESHOW: Life of a King
Presley came like a fresh wind to staid and conservative 1950s Germany. Not many German mothers and fathers were thrilled to be playing host to "Elvis the Pelvis," but many say his visit ushered in the country's lasting love-affair with American pop culture.
"He still preoccupies us, he's well-known across the generations, and he brought about a sexual, musical and social revolution," said the head of a German museum that hosted a recent Elvis exhibition.
And Germany's Elvis celebrations will not stop with the anniversary of his death. Bad Nauheim is hosting the 6th European Elvis Festival until Aug. 19.
