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When the music goes on one side and the heart on the other, when life forces us to twist our path, when pain transforms the most hidden face of the soul... sometimes it is necessary to admit defeat and let go. Fly to another side and learn to live another life, another world, another feel. Elvis felt the music to the point of being abstracted when listening to it, he liked to know and learn with the scores that others had written for him. Listening to the song "Separate Ways", which his friend Red West had composed for him, he listened to it over and over again. Once recorded, he shared it at this time with Jerry Schilling and Joe Esposito. Red was a born composer and knew perfectly everything that Elvis was experiencing at this time. His separation from Priscilla was already a fact and he couldn't accept this situation, because he was hurt in his pride. Love was no longer the important thing, it was the fact that he would no longer have his wife at home, with his daughter. Family was important, too important to Elvis, even if he didn't show it with his deeds, even if he didn't show full dedication in his marriage. All this shattered his life scheme. 
Elvis needed a woman who was always there in his home, although at this time, he no longer understood her, it was not easy and at the same time he needed others for his leisure time, it could not be otherwise, this is what not it could change. That's how he had decided and what he had to do was accept it, let go... The song they were listening to was an emotional and narrative ballad, very close, so personal that it came with all his message.
 Red came up with this song long before the rest of Elvis's friends saw the reality of the breakup, he composed the lyrics with another songwriter named Richar Mainegra. But now Elvis, with Red's words, seemed to be singing a heartbroken piece of autobiography. "Love has vanished, it has left us just friends. We almost seem like strangers"... There was even a verse about a girl trying to make sense of her parents' divorce. And the chorus accompaniment added that there is nothing left to do but go their separate ways and hope that new love can be found somewhere in the future.
 Elvis could sing a ballad that left the viewer in a cloud, left all the skin of him just like when he sang a rock. But in this song he has a subdued tone, his voice was tinged with regret, at least that's the impression he makes on the listener. His state of mind, immersed in his thoughts and combined with a letter that made him lose himself more in his thoughts, he could see the depths of him, he managed to transmit everything that was happening in his life. the.  Also for Joe and Jerry it made them think about their marriages, listening to Elvis's voice singing "Separated Ways", they thought about their own problems, because the two were getting divorced then.
 Elvis looked at the floor, seemed to shake his head a little and Jerry would say that you could almost feel the thought of the three of them, the mistakes with his partner, they thought of their marriages falling apart due to neglect. They were involved in a life that hardly included their own wife. For work, for friendship, for music... 


The song lived the moment in Elvis Presley's life, it was time to take another path and breathe, leaving behind the person he had shared with him all these years. Elvis Presley recorded the song on March 27, 1972 at RCA's Studio C, Hollywood and released it as a single with "Always On My Mind" as the B-side. It achieved gold status in the United States with sales of over half a million. of copies. It was listed as a double-sided hit reaching number 16 on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart in November 1972. In the UK "Always On My Mind" was the hit song and "Separate Ways" was the side. B. An absolute success for Elvis, that although he did not feel entirely encouraged, at least he saw that his artistic life resurfaced again. 
It was his reason to move on and the Path he had chosen long ago, leaving his mate behind. By the time the single was released on October 30, 1972, Elvis was already dating Linda Thompson, in whom he found not only a partner, but also a woman to share. 


The song "Separate Ways" was released on an Lp of the same title, on the Camden label. Later it would be published in "Double Dynamite", "Always On my mind", "Walk A Mile In My Shoes", "Burning Love", "Elvis By The Presleys" and "Hitstory". A different version appeared in "Platinum: A Life In Music" in 1997, and a rehearsal version for the documentary "Elvis On Tour" (in which he also appears) would come out in 2004 FTD "Elvis On Tour-The Rehearsals", etc. , etc. 
Richard would tell about this composition that he was initially scribbling the music on a guitar when Red sat down to play next to him and began to improvise with the lyrics,  in this way the score would come out in a short time. Red was convinced that Elvis would like to sing it, but Richard was hesitant because it was something so personal, that he described the separation from him, that he wouldn't want to perform something like that. But Red was right, because he knew Elvis to the core, he knew everything that was happening to him and he also knew him as a person and as an artist. 


"Following the Path of the King..."


https://youtu.be/VYUBHgHD-Do

The song "Burning Love" was a proposal from Felton Jarvis, the producer of Elvis. It was shown to him by Bob Beckham, publisher of Nashville, and Felton was so impressed that he had shown it to Elvis for these March 1972 recordings. After much effort, Felton finally convinces Elvis to try singing a rock by Dennis Linde . Both Bob and Felton were convinced that "Burning Love" could be a big hit for Elvis. Especially a change of air, compared to the songs he was choosing at the time. 
They were looking for an enhancement, a new hit, but Elvis was not receptive. He didn't feel like rock, because he was in the middle of a marital separation and the type of songs that he had accepted were more heartfelt, ballads, etc. His friends from the Mafia, Jerry, Charlie, Red... looked for another spirit in this session, with the musicians, they pushed the proposal a bit, playing some rock and improvising upbeat songs. 
This finally encouraged Elvis to say "yes" to the song. Although he would have a hard time coming up with the lyrics for this reason, he is sometimes seen on stage with a role. Despite having a photographic memory, in this case, Elvis put it aside. But his interpretation is a real avalanche of adrenaline... and also curious and funny, seeing Elvis following the tenor's sharp response at the end of the song, with his improvised "Ahhhh". 
The song was recorded on March 28, 1972 , at RCA, Studio C in Hollywood. Dennis Linde composed it for his wife. But once recorded, he showed it to Felton in a demo recorded by Arthur Alexander, the soul singer. Then Felton was excited that Elvis could record it and Elvis ended up singing his song. The version got faster and more energetic. Linde backed up on his old Gibson double neck guitar, so he could overdub some guitars on the song. But he did not have the opportunity to personally meet Elvis.
 When he heard the final version of "Burning Love" he couldn't believe it. He always liked Elvis, he was a fan from the beginning, he thought the version of "Burning Love" was a bit fast at the time, but he loved the energy of it. Elvis recorded two more Dennis Linde songs, "For the Heart" and "Igot a Feeling In my Body". "It's a matter of time", as a B-side. It would reach number 2 on the Billboard charts, selling more than a million copies. Currently platinum disc, cataloged by the RIAA. But the most important thing was that the success of suggesting an important change in his repertoire would be the opportunity to impact the musical world again. Elvis was on the rise again.

 "Following the Path of the King..."
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At Elvis concerts things always happened, anecdotes, his fans adored him and in many cases there were surprises for everyone. For Elvis himself, the public has always provided him with that magic that hooks him, the endless applause, the shouts, the kisses and above all that reception that always gave him strength in the hardest moments. Elvis fed many times on that fervor that the public offered him, since he started his concerts when he was young, revolutionizing and scandalizing. When he would act again in 1969, reborn with his shows and little by little, always giving everything so that his fans continued to enjoy his music. On June 30, 1973 in Atlanta, Georgia, during the 3 pm show, Elvis performed at the Omni Auditorium. Elvis was dressed in the Thunderbird Suit with the Jack Lord belt, a copy of the original. Before starting the show they told Elvis that they had seen a little boy, dressed in a white jumpsuit, which made him funny and when he started singing he looked for him, but it was difficult from the stage. Elvis was sometimes surprised by the gifts, photos, drawings, teddy bears, etc... that they sometimes gave him at his performances, it was another way of showing him his affection. 
For Elvis, that demonstration was always important, considering that he was always the one who gave people gifts without expecting anything in return, he felt as something very special if someone gave him something without asking for anything in return. It also surprised him that someone wanted to imitate him or dress like him, because his humility made him think that he was not a model for imitation. Even if it was a small child or someone older, for this reason I wanted to meet the child. During the performance that afternoon in the Omni Auditorium, many people were able to observe a woman, who had her child, her child of about five years, who She was wearing an imitation white jumpsuit, probably handmade. It drew a lot of attention, because Elvis was finally able to locate them and asked that the lights in the room be turned on so that the mother could raise her son and that everyone could see how he was dressed. 
Then Elvis approached them and gave him a gift to the unforgettable boy, he handed over the original cape from the Thunderbird suit and at DJ's suggestion, also the belt he was wearing. This time would be the last time that Elvis wore this suit with his original Cape. The boy's name was Robbie Barnes and for years he kept this gift, until he was 16 years old. We don't know to what extent he would remember the performance, nor if he remembered those very special minutes with Elvis, something that would be unforgettable, such an important moment for a fan. He was too young and surely everything he went through would be seen through the memories of his mother. But it was at this age, at 16, when a wealthy fan named Jimmy Velvet made him a proposal.
 Jimmy wanted Elvis's Cape and Belt badly and was willing to pay him anything. Robbie was very young and the truth is that he did not care much about money, he would have asked for what any young man wanted with his age. I had something much more fun in mind for him, he wanted a car, but a very special one. Robbie replied to Jimmy that if he could buy him a Pontiac Trans Am, a famous car known as the firebird, which was fashionable in those years, then he would give him the cape and the belt. 


Life sometimes surprises us, He gives us dreams, he gives us illusions, joys... other times he suddenly changes our course, gives us opportunities to choose, to do things, sometimes cruel, others he treats us harshly.
 But life above all gives us the opportunity to be, grow, love, die... every minute is important and everything we do on our way adds up to every second in our lives. But we never know how unexpected and sudden destiny can be. 
Finally this agreement was fulfilled and Jimmy got the Thunderbird Cloak, with the Jack Lord belt and Robbie got his Pontiac Trans Am, not knowing what would happen to him in the future. his destiny. Sadly, Robbie did not know that a year and a half later, that car would make him lose his life on the road, he died at just 18 years old. The original Thunderbird suit is currently at Graceland, the Cape and the belt would still buyer's hands. But Robbie Barnes's life would be lost forever on the Road.

 "Following the Road of the King..."

After a strange Season in Las Vegas, the firing of Colonel Parker and regretting this, the divorce date would come.
Elvis and Priscilla's relationship had lasted for many years, since 1958 when he met her in Bad Nauheim, Germany. Years of love, friendship, laughter, pain, commitments, obligations... all the circumstances that lead to a relationship that could have been extended or broken during the first years. ELvis was always an unfaithful man, it was really difficult for him to be otherwise, perhaps looking for another love, another complicity that he did not find in Priscilla. She was almost a girl when she fell in love with him and over the years she would grow up and mature seeing how her husband changed her way of being and his customs. Although she knew of her infidelities, over time her independence led her to also have another relationship that finally made him leave her marriage.
But she would surely have done it regardless of this, because Priscilla also needed to feel independent and valid, despite being the mother of a family, she would seek her own destiny.
The separation was completely inevitable and for this reason the divorce would finally come.
Everything was already sentenced between the two parties, Priscilla Beaulieu and Elvis Presley had reached an economic agreement by which they separated as a couple. Although obviously never as Lisa Marie's parents, their divorce would be amicable and they would show it to the press when they left the court smiling and hand in hand, on October 9, 1973.
Priscilla would see that Elvis was very swollen, she saw him very changed. The press recorded several photographs of this departure from the courts, so George Klein asked Elvis what he was saying to Priscilla when they were saying goodbye.
Elvis said he told her, “We met as friends and parted as friends. If you ever need anything, just give me a call. Always love You."
Elvis' customs with his daughter Lisa Marie, adapted to the circumstances. As her father, he would always try to be with her and take her to all the commitments he had and even modify them if necessary to be able to enjoy her daughter. With her mother he never had any problems being able to see her when it was possible and fortunately between the two there were no resentments or later reproaches. Fortunately, all the tension that existed when they were living together as a married couple disappeared with that bond and when they saw each other again they seemed like friends and shared their daughter because it was clear that between Elvis and Priscilla there was a strong bond that would never be broken and their daughter was part of their lives.
Although Elvis would accept this change, since it was impossible to remedy it, Priscilla already had a stable relationship and so did he, it was absurd to think about this at this point. Really, their marriage was careless in many aspects and Priscilla, who matured by his side, realized that she no longer had to be with him anymore, since their relationship was almost nonexistent, after having had her daughter and Elvis was dedicated to more to other women than to her.
Her past mistakes gave way to this consequence, although for Elvis the music, his performances came first, the fact that his family was divided into two, was a hard blow difficult to accept. Besides, the fact that his wife had left him was stronger for Elvis, because he felt very offended. But in October 1973 this no longer mattered, there were other things that weighed him down as well, it is very possible that Elvis was depressed by his situation, but the fatigue of doing the same thing day after day was added and having recently performed at the Hilton Hotel would be for him also an explosion of complaints.
Elvis continued to use Demerol as a remedy for his ills, not only physical ones, and he was going overboard in a way that would complicate things to the point of degenerating into a serious problem for his health.
His friends were very worried about Elvis, because they were seeing many unusual changes in his attitude, but nobody could do anything to remedy his problems.
Elvis was truly responsible for his own actions.
"Following the Path of the King..."