Elvis vs. The Beatles

The biggest musical acts of the 20th century were Elvis Presley and the Beatles. They traded fame back and forth over time. Elvis owned pop culture in the late 1950s, right up until he entered the military, and afterward focused on movies. The Beatles took over during that period in the early '60s. Was Elvis jealous of the Fab Four's overwhelming popularity? I might seem so. Elvis considered himself the king of pop music, and he chafed under the thumb of Tom Parker, who insisted on so many movies instead of concert halls and albums. The Beatles, for their part, admired Elvis and wanted to meet him. That happened in 1965, although exactly what happened is rather vague, according to the differing accounts of those who were there. Elvis made his musical comeback in 1969, just as the Beatles were falling apart. Elvis' persona at that time made his rivalry with the Beatles about America vs. Britain. Weird History has the story as far as we know it about how each act regarded the other.