Tribute to Lisa Marie Presley, featuring Sheldon Zoldan

Writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan is the creator of Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to a list of subscribers. In the past couple of years, he's also written and recorded tributes to music industry greats who are no longer with us.

In this episode, we're focusing on Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis and an accomplished singer — and songwriter — in her own right.  This is one of Sheldon's 44 tributes to artists, songwriters and producers who passed away in 2023. To hear "Lights Out,” the song referenced in the tribute, go to the YouTube video.

The public domain photo of Presley in the chapters is from wikimedia. org. You can download a copy here.

And to get on Sheldon’s Song of the Day subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.

The tributes in this series are fascinating glimpses into the lives and impact of those who made the soundtracks of our lives. Although some of Sheldon's subjects are less famous than others, you may find that their songs and stories are equally worth your time. I sure did.

Audio engineer Mike Villegas (who’s also a musician) and I will publish the rest of the 44 tributes in the coming days or weeks. Hope you enjoy them.

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to the show!

Available on Apple, Spotify, Audible and in other directories, and on YouTube.

Transcript

Kate:
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Hello, and welcome to Everyday Creation,

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a show about living our purpose and lifting

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our vibes for ourselves and the world.

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I'm Kate Jones, here with a tribute to

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Lisa Marie Presley,

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daughter of Elvis and an accomplished singer in

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her own right.

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She was a songwriter too.

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This is one of 44 short yet illuminating

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episodes

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about significant figures in the music industry

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who passed away in 2023.

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My guest, Sheldon Zoldan,

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a longtime writer and newspaper editor,

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wrote these tributes and recorded them. Here's what

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he says about Presley who died on January

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12th

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of last year.

Sheldon:
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Lisa Marie Presley had to carry her famous

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last name the way Atlas was condemned to

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hold up the heavens on his shoulders for

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eternity.

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Her christened name wasn't "Lisa Marie Presley,

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the only child of Elvis Presley." It only

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seemed like that.

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She carved out a life of her own

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as a singer and songwriter,

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but she was never too far away from

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the paparazzi

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and the gossip columnists.

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Presley died of cardiac arrest January 12th in

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Los Angeles

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after being rushed to the hospital.

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She was 54.

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Presley was 5 when her parents divorced and

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9 when her dad died.

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She was 33 when she released her first

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album,

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"To Whom It May Concern."

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The album was a hit. It reached number

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5 on Billboard's 200 album chart.

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Presley wrote all the melodies and all but

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one of the lyrics.

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"Lights Out"

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was the first single released from the album.

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The lyrics started out talking about her dad's

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death. It reached number 18 on Billboard's adult

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top 40.

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She co-wrote 10 of the songs on

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her second album, "Now What."

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It reached number 9 on Billboard's 200 album

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chart.

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Through technological

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magic, she sang duets with her dad on

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"In the Ghetto"

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and "Don't Cry Daddy."

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Presley's life outside a music studio produced more

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publicity than her music.

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She married four times.

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She had two children with her first husband,

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Danny Keough.

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They were married for six years, but they

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remained friends until she died.

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Her marriage to actor Nicolas Cage lasted four

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months.

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Her most famous marriage was to Michael Jackson.

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Their marriage lasted two years.

Kate:
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This is Kate again.

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Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a

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music-related story sent daily to an email

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list of subscribers.

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All of those stories and these tributes

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include links to the featured songs.

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In this episode's description,

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you can link to "Lights Out" on YouTube,

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as well as get information on how to

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join Sheldon's subscriber list.

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If you enjoyed this tribute,

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please check out the next one to brothers

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Robbie Bachman and Tim Bachman,

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and share all the tributes with anyone who

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might appreciate

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well-researched glimpses

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into the lives of the talented people who

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created some of the music we love.

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Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.