U.K.: ELVIS PRESLEY STORMS TO TOP OF BRITISH CHARTS 25 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SPORTS GIANT 'NIKE'

Record ID: 640685

  • Title: U.K.: ELVIS PRESLEY STORMS TO TOP OF BRITISH CHARTS 25 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SPORTS GIANT 'NIKE'
  • Date: 18th June 2002
  • Summary: (U5) LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JUNE 18, 2002) (REUTERS) SV: FOUR ELVIS IMPERSONATORS WALKING PAST THE ELVIS AND THE BEATLES SHOP
  • Embargoed: 3rd July 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVA4YZMVIA55LX1K1EZ9IG558EMF
  • Story Text: With a little help from a Dutch DJ and a dash of World Cup fever, Elvis Presley has soared to the top of the British charts 25 years after his death.
    No fewer than four Elvis's wowed passers by with an impromptu performance of "A Little Less Conversation" on Tuesday (June 18) outside London's "Elvisly Yours" memorabilia store to celebrate his first UK number one in 25 years.
    Given a modern twist by Amsterdam-based DJ and record producer JXL, "A Little Less Conversation", went straight into the UK charts at number one, selling almost a quarter of a million copies.
    The original version of the song, which Elvis sang in his 1968 film "Live a Little, Love a Lot", reached No. 69 on the U.S. singles charts in 1968 and failed to enter the chart at all in Britain.
    The result breaks a long-running tie between the U.S.
    music legend and the Beatles for the most No. 1 hits in the United Kingdom. Until Sunday (June 11), it had stood at 17 apiece.
    The song has caught the public's ear recently because it features in a hi-energy advertising campaign for Nike, featuring some of the world's top soccer talent, which has been aired repeatedly in Britain during television coverage of the soccer World Cup.
    It also was on the soundtrack of the 2001 movie "Ocean's Eleven".
    Sid Shaw, who owns the "Elvisly Yours" shop - which stands next door to the London Beatles Store - thinks that Elvis would be pleased with the new song :
    "Elvis would be proud I am sure that his song, 25 years after his death has been changed to make it a little bit more modern, and it is still his voice and it is Elvis's song, it's just a great great number."
    Although the remix takes some liberties with the song's introduction and adds some extra instrumental parts, the vocal is original Elvis. It is the first contemporary remix of Presley's music allowed by RCA who own the rights to the original master recordings of Presley's entire catalogue.
    The track will be getting airplay on American radio stations from today, and there is already great interest in the song, which will hit the shops in two weeks time - Elvis has so far notched up 18 U.S. number one hits to the Beatles 20.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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