Bono´s Poem on Elvis

On May 13, BBC Radio 4 listeners will be treated to a "plain but intense" Bono recital of the 850-word verse, entitled American David. It will be part of a 15-minute feature interwoven with specially composed music and archive material, which the BBC insists will be "atmospheric and artistic."
The poem was written in 1995 by the U2 singer who has a long-term fascination with the King of Rock'n'Roll. It opens with the lines: "Elvis son of Tupelo/ Elvis mama's boy/ Elvis the twin brother of Jesse who died at birth and was buried in a shoe box."

Laura Parfitt of White Pebble Media, who pitched the idea to the broadcaster, said: "Bono did an interview about two years ago with Des Shaw for a series for BBC radio about Sun Studios [in Memphis where Elvis recorded]. At the end of the interview he said he had written a poem about Elvis and asked if Des wanted to hear it. So he pulled out the poem and just read it and recorded it. At the end he said, 'Do whatever you want with it.' It was never broadcast."

When Parfitt, a U2 fan, heard the recording she said she could immediately imagine sounds and music to accompany it. "It's a very evocative poem that brings sounds into your head. I immediately heard a soundscape. I could hear the sounds of America, I could hear Elvis's voice and the music."

Bono's text contains references to Presley's films as well as his music and covers all stages of his career, including his fall from grace. "Elvis the bumper stickers/ Elvis the white knickers/ Elvis the white nigger ate at Burger King and just kept getting bigger."

Another section reads: "Elvis white trash/ Elvis the Memphis flash/ Elvis didn't smoke hash and woulda been a sissy without Johnny Cash."

In 2004, Bono selected Elvis as his choice for The Greatest Artists of All Time issue of Rolling Stone magazine. "Elvis changed everything -- musically, sexually, politically," he said. "In Elvis, you had the whole lot; it's all there in that elastic voice and body."

For the band's film Rattle and Hum, U2 went to Graceland and Sun Studios where they worked with Cowboy Jack Clement, Presley's engineer. The studio was reopened specially so the band could record some tracks in the same place where Presley recorded "Mystery Train." The tracks included "Angel of Harlem" with BB King. An earlier album, The Unforgettable Fire, featured a track entitled "Elvis Presley and America."

Parfitt described Bono's style as "a bit like the Liverpool beat poets. I think it's interesting because obviously he's a lyricist and this is a totally different approach to writing words. It sounds like a prayer at the end.

"The programme takes you on a journey through Elvis's life and career but also through America of that era, all told through this incredible poem that Bono wrote," she said.

source:www.timesonline.co.uk