About Back To Tupelo

[Love Expresso]

Well, I can't see much of Colonel's voice in it. It's a third party - I believe it's Elvis' conscience - looking from a distance to primarly Elvis, but also to both of them at sometimes ("you and the lying dutchman"). And when the narrator acknowledges that the movie plots "are just not ringing true", I don't think that Parker even bothered about it. He just wanted to sell his golden boy up and up, regardless the quality of the product they were involved in. For the same reason, when the lyrics go "sometimes there

[yontwocrows]

Then I must say I always understood the song was the voice of Elvis own conscience, just like Il grillo parlante in Pinocchio. It's Elvis himself looking at his past and telling some truths to his current version.

Yeah, Nababo. I listened to it once more. You're right, it works perfectly well. The first four lines of the last verse sounded at first a little bit irritating, but even this part can be understood in that way. And also expressions like "it's a ways", that are rather used by a person than by a narrator support your theory. I like also the idea that sometimes the voice of the colonel is in Elvis' head. I looked for the interview where Mark should have said that the colonel is speaking but have not been successful yet. I only found the phrases that are already quoted in this thread and i think that a critisism on the Colonel and his management style (lying Dutchman / overdrive  etc) are pretty obvious. And also the fact that he has the feeling to go in a wrong direction.

"it's a ways" - can't find the meaning that Knopflerfan suggests. (Beeing a movie star and the king of rock n' roll is a way / method to go back to tupelo? ) @dmg: you're explanation of the phrase is the meaning of distance (far away from his roots). Ahhh! - but now i know what you mean (just read your explanation once more). You're thinking in a positive way (Look what i've achieved, i made my way - this kind of meanings) Why I can't follow this way of thinking is that we know that the film clambake is a turning point and that he changed his way of living in that period a lot. And he didn't do what the Colonel wanted. But you're right it could be read this way. Maybe it depends on each personality how this lines are interpreted. I feel more attracted by the idea that he is longing for lost values in the past.

Thanks to everybody here for all the input. Very interesting!   

[dmg]

Christ we could be listening to Perry Como/Bing Crosby type music without his impact.

My late Grandmother loved Perry Como and as a child we used to listen to his records.  I remember us both singing along to Catch A Falling Star as though it was yesterday!

P.S.  She did joke a bit, calling him Perry Coma once in a while though!

[Justme]

...and then a tune in my head started "m-a-a-gic moments, blessed with love [...]" 

In my humble opinion Elvis was the first artist to mix "white" country with "black" blues music. That got it all started.
A while ago MK said in an interview that as a young lad he started singing "(Marie's the name) his latest flame" while holding a tennis racket like a guitar.

[nababo]

Thanks to everybody here for all the input. Very interesting!   

Thanks, but I really just added some thoughts to your and Lestroid's explanations, which I think are the most accurates about the song. Even about the role of the Colonel's words on the song. It's him somehow, but I think it's him being reminded by someone out of the equation, in perspective. And I do think that MK does this in many, many songs. He creates a narrator, a viewer, a witness, as if he was seing a landscape but, instead of painting, he writes.

[Love Expresso]

He creates a narrator, a viewer, a witness, as if he was seing a landscape but, instead of painting, he writes.

 

LE

[JF]

yes, very well described

[Knopflerfan]

Totally agree with all of the above - MK is a true 'Artist'

[dustyvalentino]

My Dad wanted to name me Perry, after Perry Como.

Thanks Mum!

[yontwocrows]

Guys, warm up is over! Race mode!    WARNING: If you are not interested deeply, you don't have to open the attached file. It's only an additional info!
Now I'm getting really maniac: The input of dmg was a kind of inspiration and i wanted to think about the whole more precisely. So i made a table with the lyrics and the three views (third party, inner view of elvis, colonel parker), to have a kind of overview. I attached the file for all the registered users. I've copied the result of this thinking process, so that also the guests can be part of the fun i had.  (But to see the table, you've to register  )

Result:
I think the figurative meaning of Tupelo is very important. It's the headline (Back to Tupelo = What does it mean?) For me it was always something positive. True values, youth, roots

[dmg]

Wow - that's got to be the ultimate in analyses!  Kind of like the sort of thing I did at school when I was reading The Great Gatsby etc!   Seriously well done though YTC, I'll give you an A+ for that!

[rosco]

Guys, warm up is over! Race mode!    WARNING: If you are not interested deeply, you don't have to open the attached file. It's only an additional info!
Now I'm getting really maniac: The input of dmg was a kind of inspiration and i wanted to think about the whole more precisely. So i made a table with the lyrics and the three views (third party, inner view of elvis, colonel parker), to have a kind of overview. I attached the file for all the registered users. I've copied the result of this thinking process, so that also the guests can be part of the fun i had.  (But to see the table, you've to register  )

Result:
I think the figurative meaning of Tupelo is very important. It's the headline (Back to Tupelo = What does it mean?) For me it was always something positive. True values, youth, roots

[yontwocrows]

Guys, warm up is over! Race mode!    WARNING: If you are not interested deeply, you don't have to open the attached file. It's only an additional info!
Now I'm getting really maniac: The input of dmg was a kind of inspiration and i wanted to think about the whole more precisely. So i made a table with the lyrics and the three views (third party, inner view of elvis, colonel parker), to have a kind of overview. I attached the file for all the registered users. I've copied the result of this thinking process, so that also the guests can be part of the fun i had.  (But to see the table, you've to register  )

Result:
I think the figurative meaning of Tupelo is very important. It's the headline (Back to Tupelo = What does it mean?) For me it was always something positive. True values, youth, roots

[yontwocrows]

A few links for deeper understanding of Back to Tupelo

Clambake: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clambake

Elvis met Brando ("You can still be Marlon Brando"):
 

"You'll soon be back in Memphis, maybe then you'll know what to do":
Full album
 

"a song to give your mother in your first recording booth":
My happiness
 

Mark Knopfler talks with Members of Presley first band
 

about Scotty Moore (Presleys first guitarist) and chet atkins (who sometimes produces Elvis)
 

MK plays the B-Side song with scotty moore of elvis presleys first sun record
 

Have fun!

[stefankock]

Guys, warm up is over! Race mode!    WARNING: If you are not interested deeply, you don't have to open the attached file. It's only an additional info!
Now I'm getting really maniac: The input of dmg was a kind of inspiration and i wanted to think about the whole more precisely. So i made a table with the lyrics and the three views (third party, inner view of elvis, colonel parker), to have a kind of overview. I attached the file for all the registered users. I've copied the result of this thinking process, so that also the guests can be part of the fun i had.  (But to see the table, you've to register  )

Result:
I think the figurative meaning of Tupelo is very important. It's the headline (Back to Tupelo = What does it mean?) For me it was always something positive. True values, youth, roots