Yes, Elvis recorded gospel music. But some of his secular songs reveal his faith, hope, and love in ways that are surprising and heartbreaking.
Of course, that’s not to downplay the power of his sacred recordings. A lifelong fan of gospel music, Elvis released How Great Thou Art in 1967. Packed with classics like “In the Garden”, “Stand By Me,” and “By and By”, it won a Grammy for Best Sacred Performance. He followed it up with He Touched Me in 1972. It includes classics like Amazing Grace alongside songs by gospel luminaries Bill Gaither, Andrae Crouch, and Ralph Carmichael
Just as he did in all of his songs, Elvis brought his enormous emotional range to this album. Whether shouting in praise or praying quietly, he seemed to draw on his own experiences – both joyful and sorrowful – as a means of finding a personal, unique connection to each of song.
Elvis didn’t just sing with his heart, however; he sang with his soul. He brought depth and honesty and passion to just about everything he recorded. Even his secular music reveals a man who had a deeply spiritual connection to the world. His love for others – and for music itself – shines forth brightly in many of his songs.
Anthony Buckley, an Anglican priest and chaplain of Hertford College at Oxford, is a lifelong Elvis fan. But his interest in Elvis isn’t just personal; it’s professional. For years he has drawn upon the music of the King of Rock’n’Roll to help his parishioners understand the King of Love.
When Anthony first told me that Elvis songs often shows up in his sermons, I assumed that he meant his gospel records. But that’s not the case. Often, in fact, Anthony refers to his secular music. Intrigued, I asked Anthony to tell me more, and this is what he wrote:
“When Elvis meant it, he went for it. In these songs we have the heartfelt cry of a hurting, generous, troubled, faith-filled, friendship-committed, compassionate person. He was not perfect, but perhaps that’s why his best performances were close to being so. Aside from his ability to perform a song supremely well, part of Elvis’ appeal is that he is very human, with all the conflicting strains and stresses, losses and hopes that this means. And he kept singing to the end.”
Anthony then provided the examples below along with commentary on each. As you read his thoughts and watch Elvis’s performances, see if you, too, can sense Elvis’s soul in each of them:
FIVE SONGS IN FIVE YEARS: Anthony Buckley
Always on My Mind
“Always on my mind.: Deeply unsettled by his separation from Priscilla, this was part of a series of songs that expressed his sorrow. The lyrics expressing regrets that are common across so many relationships. Little things I should have said and done, I just never took the time…”
In this video, Elvis sings the song in the studio just a month after separating from his wife:
I’ll Remember You
“In January 1973 Elvis performed at the Aloha concert in Hawaii, beamed via satellite (very exciting in those days) to a quarter of the world’s population. In the concert he sang I’ll Remember You. Halfway into the song, he turns, smiles and nods at someone. On the screen it is difficult to know at whom he is smiling, but the direction of the turn means it is likely to be J D Sumner, the leader of Elvis’ backing group and in some ways a father figure to Elvis.”
Help me
“Later in 1973 Elvis was struggling to record an album. He was contracted to do so but his heart was not in it, and he was not in good shape emotionally or physically. The session was not going well but then he was given the song Help me. He sang it in one take and fell to his knees whilst doing so. Help me is a prayer, the words echoing a place where most of us have been: I never thought I needed help before. I thought that I could get by, by myself. But now I know I just can’t take it any more…”
Here is a recording from a live performance in 1977:
Can’t Help Falling in Love
“Through these years his closing song at concerts was Can’t help falling in love. He increasingly tended to rush it, lacking the control and breath of the classic 1961 recording, but it still always worked. Whatever else was going on, he wanted to end and land back on the intimacy and relationship, on the love which he valued and needed so much.”
Here is his performance from the famous 1968 “Comeback Special”:
How Great Thou Art
“As the 70s continued Elvis’s health deteriorated. By 1977 it was obvious he was very ill. In one of his last concerts he reached for a favourite Gospel song and sang How Great Thou Art. In passion and for emphasis he repeats some words, lost in the theme that this is a God bigger than all the pain and the struggles:”
“This is a hymn of triumph (unlike the more plaintive Help me). But Elvis’s performance s he reached his end makes it truly poignant. In the middle of all he is suffering, he still has the faith to reach high. He died a few weeks later.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
Elvis was a complicated man. Like all of us, he was a sinner. He hurt others and he hurt himself. A the same time, he brought joy and love to countless millions during his career – not just through his gospel songs, but also through the honesty and love that came through so strongly in all of his music.
Elvis never lost his faith. He was a regular human being trying his best to live a life filled with love – for God, for himself, and for others – especially his fans, Even at his very end, he had the courage to praise God, even when facing his darkest hour. In that way, he ought to be an inspiration for all of us.
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