Elvis Doesn't Die, What Does He Record?

As above, really. Let's say he dies, of retires at aged 70. These are the songs he may well have covered IMHO.

In no real order


What a Fool Believes (Doobie Brothers)
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen)
I Love Rock 'n' Roll (Joan Jett)
Eye of The Tiger (Survivor)
I Just Called to Say I Love You (Stevie Wonder)
Stuck With You (Huey Lewis)
I Think We're Alone Now (Tiffany) (yes I know!)
Sweet Child o' Mine (Guns and Roses)
Black Velvet (Alannah Myles)
(Everything I Do) I do for You) (Bryan Adams)
Believe (Cher)
Don't Look Back in Anger (Oasis)
Pure (Lighting Seeds)
For Those About to Rock (AC/DC)
Gimme All Your Lovin' (ZZ Top)
We Are the World (USA)

Your ideas?
 
'I will always love you'
by Dolly Parton, he'd show Whitney a thing or too ;)
And I would absolutely love to hear him do a Bond song!!!!!!
 
Gospel, because a sharp religious turn is pretty much the only thing I can see that'd make him clean up his lifestyle enough to not die. He and Amy Grant do an album together.
 
A lot of older musicians kept away from recording new material for many years, if not decades, for instance, Chuck Berry. If Elvis had lived, and announced a new album in 2017 (as Chuck Berry did), how much buzz might that create? So it's likely he'd keep recording up until his death if he weren't entirely messed up on drugs/completely disabled.
 
It's a huge longshot, but maybe he ends up being the new lead singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd once they reunite in 87.
 
I could see him doing some work with either Paul McCartney or John Lennon and in his later years maybe a couple of duet albums with more modern singers, on 'If I can Dream' with the London Philharmonic Orchestra they did a duet of Fever with Michael Bublé which was pretty good in my humble opinion.
 
Gospel, because a sharp religious turn is pretty much the only thing I can see that'd make him clean up his lifestyle enough to not die. He and Amy Grant do an album together.

He already was pretty religious and did tons of Gospel. Religion was not his problem honestly.
But he for sure would make a few more Gospel albums in the last twenty years of his career
 
Elvis passed before I was born, so I'm too young to have any in moment knowledge of where he was at culturally at the time of his death. I know that his personal life and health were deteriorating because of his addiction, but was his star power and reputation on a decline as well, or did this stuff come out after his death? Was he still considered extremely marketable?
 
As above, really. Let's say he dies, of retires at aged 70. These are the songs he may well have covered IMHO.

In no real order


What a Fool Believes (Doobie Brothers)
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen)
I Love Rock 'n' Roll (Joan Jett)
Eye of The Tiger (Survivor)
I Just Called to Say I Love You (Stevie Wonder)
Stuck With You (Huey Lewis)
I Think We're Alone Now (Tiffany Tommy James and the Shondells)
Sweet Child o' Mine (Guns and Roses)
Black Velvet (Alannah Myles)
(Everything I Do) I do for You) (Bryan Adams)
Believe (Cher)
Don't Look Back in Anger (Oasis)
Pure (Lighting Seeds)
For Those About to Rock (AC/DC)
Gimme All Your Lovin' (ZZ Top)
We Are the World (USA)

Your ideas?

Just to note, death/retirement at 70 pushes his career to 2005.

Probably the best thing would be to have Vernon step in earlier than 1976. Let's say he steps in after the 2nd overdose (July 1973, St Louis). If he manages to get Elvus away from of the whole Memphis Mafia, especially Colonel Parker and Dr. Nick - not just the Wests, in 1973, Elvis is much more likely to kick the drugs. Keep him out of the limelight for a few years to make sure he's really clean and sober, then let him make a limited comeback in the early/mid 80s. Let's say he makes a surprise appearance on "We are the World". He basically pulls sonething of a Johnny Cash, and does more of an elder statesman thing. In fact, have him do a big comeback album with Cash.
 
Elvis passed before I was born, so I'm too young to have any in moment knowledge of where he was at culturally at the time of his death. I know that his personal life and health were deteriorating because of his addiction, but was his star power and reputation on a decline as well, or did this stuff come out after his death? Was he still considered extremely marketable?

I remember hearing about his death. His problems weren't widely known before his death, but were suspected. I remember one of my friends father's telling of seeing Elvis in Vegas in the early 70s. He came out and started on "Heartbreak Hotel". It went like this:
Since my baby left me,
I found mumble mumble dwell,
Mumble mumble mumble,
Mumble mumble mumble,
Mumble mumble mumble,
PLUS TAX!
Mic drop, storm off stage.

His star power bombed in the 60s. The formulaic movies and associated albums basically turned him into a joke. He made a bit if a comeback in 68, and it was a slow slide after that.
 
Maybe he gets with Willie and company when Farm Aid starts up?
That may be even better than USA for Africa.

He already was pretty religious and did tons of Gospel. Religion was not his problem honestly.
But he for sure would make a few more Gospel albums in the last twenty years of his career
Very true. But I can see getting good with God playing a big part of his rehab.
 
Heh - and as we speak, there's speculation on an Elvis Presidency in Chat...

A timeline about Elvis Presley cleaning up and becoming President in the 1980s would be interesting.


From what I picked up, it seems like he was sort of a more conservative version of Jimmy Carter, politically.

POD is pretty obvious: he gets successful rehab in the early 1970's, and uses his story as a springboard to a political career (starting as governor of Tennessee?) Americans LOVE stories of redemption.
 
Let's say, as we were discussing in Politiyanks, he breaks free of the prescription drugs (say, in 1973-74) and starts to get interested in politics during the mid-1970's. My suggestion was that he might try out the Governorship of Tennessee first, emulating Reagan in that way. He'd have gone forward, let's say, as a Clinton/Gore-style New Democrat (cue ATL's Politiyanks in 2017 complaining about him as a DLC type; you just can't win :D :p ) Let's say he wins his first term in 1980 and goes for two terms - what policies might he have pursued in Tennessee? How would he have related to the Reagan Administration? Would there have been a battle royale between Clinton and Presley in 1992 for the Democratic nomination?
 
Heh - and as we speak, there's speculation on an Elvis Presidency in Chat...

Elvis as governor of Tennessee would be epic. If he runs as a Democrat, he's what the party needs to make up for Governor Ray Blanton's "pay my crew some money and I'll pardon you from prison" scandal, and would easily beat Jake Butcher (also corrupt) in the primary, and win against Lamar Alexander in 1978. I think the state judicial system would still assist Elvis in throwing Blanton out of office a few days early to prevent him from pardoning prisoners, which since this is Elvis doing it (instead of Alexander as in OTL) might make the event more nationally known (Elvis fighting corruption!). If Elvis Presley is governor of Tennessee, there's going to be quite a bit of attention drawn to the state. Since he's associated with West Tennessee, he could have a lot of the West Tennessee Democrats like long-time Lieutenant Governor John Wilder and OTL Governor Ned McWherter associated with him.

He could easily establish himself as a good Southern Democrat to name to any higher position in the government, and a possible presidential or vice presidential candidate in the future. He'd obviously be associated with Al Gore, since hopefully he'd clean up the state government from being the "toxic waste dump" Gore's staff described it as (you'd need to after Blanton), and with his celebrity, maybe a potential Democrat would pick him as running mate, in '88 or '92, assuming Republican success?

Let's say, as we were discussing in Politiyanks, he breaks free of the prescription drugs (say, in 1973-74) and starts to get interested in politics during the mid-1970's. My suggestion was that he might try out the Governorship of Tennessee first, emulating Reagan in that way. He'd have gone forward, let's say, as a Clinton/Gore-style New Democrat (cue ATL's Politiyanks in 2017 complaining about him as a DLC type; you just can't win :D :p ) Let's say he wins his first term in 1980 and goes for two terms - what policies might he have pursued in Tennessee? How would he have related to the Reagan Administration? Would there have been a battle royale between Clinton and Presley in 1992 for the Democratic nomination?

1978 is more interesting for Tennessee, since there was no gubernatorial election in 1980 there thanks to a recent amendment of the state constitution. Not to mention the deal with Ray Blanton. I think we can assume Elvis in 1978 might be a thing?

But yes, Elvis could've done great, as long as he stayed out of Blanton's corruption and incorporated the better parts of Lamar Alexander's term. Ray Blanton had some great policies (everything I've heard makes it seem like if not for his scandals he'd be remember as one of Tennessee's better governors), like those with auto manufacturing and development, he just associated himself with some of Tennessee's worst people and was ridiculously irrepetenent for it (as seen with interviews on TV in Tennessee, where it was known he was drunk for--he was an alcoholic and he died of alcoholism).

I'm assuming Elvis is a Democrat.
 
Let's say, as we were discussing in Politiyanks, he breaks free of the prescription drugs (say, in 1973-74) and starts to get interested in politics during the mid-1970's. My suggestion was that he might try out the Governorship of Tennessee first, emulating Reagan in that way. He'd have gone forward, let's say, as a Clinton/Gore-style New Democrat (cue ATL's Politiyanks in 2017 complaining about him as a DLC type; you just can't win :D :p ) Let's say he wins his first term in 1980 and goes for two terms - what policies might he have pursued in Tennessee? How would he have related to the Reagan Administration? Would there have been a battle royale between Clinton and Presley in 1992 for the Democratic nomination?

There were Tennessee gubernatorial elections in 1978 and 1982, not 80. Lamar Alexander won in 78, and the state constitution, as of 1978, limits the govetnor to two consecutive terms.


So...
Let's start with some stuff from above.
In July 1973, Elvis ODs for the 2nd time. Vernon steps in, gets rid of the Memphis Mafia, and gets Elvis into rehab. Johnny Cash visits to counsel him and they have a come to God moment. Elvis gets clean and drops out of the public eye.

Lamar Alexander wins in the governiship in 1978.

Lets apply convenient butterflies, and the farm crisis hits in 1980. Willie Nelson is putting together a Farm Aid like benefit concert with Johnny Cash. Elvis makes a surprise apperance, having become a lot more serious.

Shortly after, he announces he's interested in running for governor to help the little guy. He wins in 1982 and again in 1986. He leaves office in 1990.

By this point, the Gulf War is butterflied.

The Berlin Wall falls roughly on schedule, and Elvis does a special concert for the occassion. Shortly after, he announces he's running for president.
 
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