Bruce Springsteen Storms Graceland Looking For Elvis

1976

Bruce Springsteen, fresh from playing a Memphis concert on his Born To Run tour, tries to climb over the fence at Elvis Presley's Graceland estate in an attempt to see Presley. He is escorted off the premises by guards who inform him the King is not at home.

Springsteen decides, on a whim, to take a cab to Graceland after finishing his show. As he approaches the gates he notices that a light is on in the house, and so heady with the confidence of youth and newfound fame he scales the wall and runs across to the front door. Before he is able to knock on the door, a security guard intercepts him. Bruce asks if Elvis is home, and is informed that the King is away in Lake Tahoe. Springsteen proclaims his fame, pointing out that he had recently made the covers of both Newsweek and Time magazines, but it falls on deaf ears and he is escorted from the premises.

It is not unusual for Elvis' fans to storm his castle by climbing the walls around Graceland, so security - some of whom are relatives of Elvis - is on alert, ready to escort intruders from the grounds. Some of the more enterprising fans have been found in trees, taking a swim in the pool, and even on one occasion inside the house itself.

As for Springsteen, he remains a lifelong fan of Presley and writes the song "Fire" as a tribute to him after catching a particularly poor performance in Philadelphia in 1977. Elvis dies before the demo can find him, but the song is recorded by Robert Gordon and later The Pointer Sisters, who take it to #2 in the US.