Elvis’ Performance On The Ed Sullivan Show Is One Of The Most Controversial Ever

Madonna was known for pushing the envelope when it came to televised sexuality back in the 80s, with her openly seductive dance moves and on-screen relationships with statues that came to life. Brittany Spears had her turn in the 90s when she bared her mid-riff and put a new spin on the innocent school girl with “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” and Miley Cyrus seems to be today’s version of what some consider to be overly sexual with her seductive Wrecking Ball video. But, before Spears, Madonna and Cyrus broke the mold for women performers, there was one legend who started the entire sexual performance movement. Elvis Presley.
The world had never seen anything like it. Up until Presley appeared on stage, no one had seen a musician perform quite as lewd as the Tennessee native himself. Not long after Presley took the stage, he became well known as “The King of Rock,” and was recognized as being a bad influence on youngsters. Americans were spinning their heads over the musician who had the capability of making an entire coliseum of women swoon and men wanting to be just like him. In the 1950s, celeb talk show host, Ed Sullivan, was too timid to put Elvis Presley on his show, but it didn’t take long for him to change his mind. Presley, who was the first musician to really push the limit when it came to vulgarity and sex appeal, quickly became a musical icon, and Sullivan soon changed his mind about having the sex symbol on his show.