Elvis: Star or Scam?

In the third segment of Last Train to Memphis, Guralnick uses a quote said by Elvis in an interview about his songs that really struck me:

"'I've never written a song in my life,' Elvis insisted vociferously on a number of public occasions, going on to declare in one interview, 'It's all a big hoax...I get one third of the credit for recording it. It makes me look smarter than I am.'" (387).

This quote started to make me think of Elvis' songs in a broader context and I found myself subconsciously making comparisons to modern-day singers and their practices. For example, my mind first wondered to the definition of today's "cover" song (e.g. Lady Marmalade by Christina et al, Emotions by Destiny's Child, Take my Breath Away by Jessica Simpson, etc.). Though these artists "took" the songs from other famous singers and added their own "flare" to them just as Elvis did, they differ greatly from Elvis in the fact that this was an exception, not the norm. Moreover, the original artists and versions of these songs got proper credit in their own time and right. Thus, it was a little disturbing to me when I was reading to learn that almost all of the songs I thought were original Elvis hits (Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, etc.) were really not. In short, I felt scammed.

I then began to try to wrestle with the notion that Elvis' popularity might really be unjustified. Part of me wanted to believe that this practice of taking other artists songs, popularizing them, and profiting from them was acceptable and was considered just part of the 1950s music culture. However, another part of me couldn't help but think about the movie "Dreamgirls" in which a trio of black singers in the 60s in Detroit (largely modeled after the "Supremes") try to break into the music business. One of the earliest conflicts in the movie comes when the "Dreamettes" record their first single and have every indication that it will become a new hit, only to find out that another group (a white group) stole their single, changed it to sound like a california-beachy pop tune, and hit the top of the charts, leaving the original version made by the Dreamettes virtually unheard of. The movie made it very clear that this process happened somewhat frequently to new artists (especially black artists), however it was a practice that was very much frowned upon and therefore done behind people's backs.

So, in the heat of this battle within myself I did what most people would do...I turned to the internet to supply me with the answer :) I found some interesting quotes which I will share with you all below:

"Elvis wrote none of his songs although he is in the songwriting credits for 9 songs ..none of which he actually helped write" (Wiki Answers)

"Those who criticise his musical ability forget one thing. Elvis, like most of his contemporaries, was a singer, not a musician. It was rare for singers to write their own songs in those days." (BBC News)

“Well a lot of people said Elvis stole our music. Stole the black man’s music. The black man, white man, has got no music of their own. Music belongs to the universe." (BBC News)

Sigh. It seems I've hit on an issue that others have been debating for quite some time and one in which there may be no definitive answer.