Saturday 9: All Shook Up

Saturday 9: All Shook Up (1957)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

Chosen because January 8 is the anniversary of Elvis Presley's birth. (*It kind of applies to the state of the nation at the moment, too.*)

1) In this song, Elvis shares quite a list of maladies: he's itching, his hands are shaky, his knees are weak, he has chills . . . How are you feeling this morning?

A. Not very well. I have had a return of my chronic pain issues in my abdominal muscles. I am six months overdue for return visits to physical therapy for it, thanks to the coronavirus, but I am doing the best I can with my own efforts and help from my husband. Stress makes it worse.

2) He also mentions being "tongue tied." The dictionary defines it as, "unable to speak freely, as from shyness." Do you often find yourself tongue tied?

A. Not anymore. I did when I was younger. Now that I am old, I say what I want. Usually.

3) Even after he was wealthy, Elvis never lived away from his parents. At one point Graceland Mansion was home to four generations of the family: his grandmother, his father and stepmother, Elvis, his wife and daughter. Have you ever lived in a multi-generational household?

A. No. Well, my immediate family when I was growing up, but that was it.

4) Thinking of family, Elvis Presley was a distant cousin of President Jimmy Carter. Both of their family trees can be traced back to the 18th century and Thomas Preslar (before the surname was changed to Presley in the early 1800s). Have you traced your ancestry? If not, is it something you'd like to do?

A. I have traced my ancestry down various paths, but it is a never ending pursuit. There is always another relative to find. (My family was here before the Revolutionary War.)

 

5) As an adult, Elvis never wore denim (except for a movie role). That's because when he was in school, his classmates teased him for "dressing poor" in jeans and coveralls. Is denim a big part of your wardrobe today?

A. Yes.

 

6) Before becoming famous, Elvis drove a truck in and around Memphis. Have you ever had a job that kept you behind the wheel most of the day?

A. No.

7) In 1957, the year this song was a hit, the Allstate Mechanical Freight Set was popular, too. Kids would wind up the engine and watch it pull two cars and a caboose around the track. To enhance the realism, sparks would shoot from the engine's smoke stack as it rumbled by. Did you ever play with a toy train? If not, tell us about a childhood plaything you remember fondly.

A. I had a Mrs. Beasley doll that I hung on to for a long time.

8) The best-selling book of 1957 was Peyton Place, a scandalous tale of life in a small New England town. Do you suppose there are enough steamy stories behind closed doors in your town to fill a novel?

A. There are enough steamy stories behind any closed door to fill a novel.

9) Random question: Can you do 10 push ups?

A. I doubt it, and I'm not going to try to find out.

______________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.