<p id=”par-1_51″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/elvis-presley/?swcfpc=1″>Elvis Presley’s</a> singing career brought him wealth, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/celebrity/”>fame</a>, and a powerful legacy. Towards the end of his life, he considered giving all of this up. Feeling bored and dissatisfied with his work, Elvis turned to a televangelist for guidance. He wondered if he should search for a new purpose in life. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-elvis-wasn-t-sure-he-should-continue-on-with-his-singing-nbsp-career”>Elvis wasn’t sure he should continue on with his singing career</h2>
<p id=”par-2_69″>In the mid-1970s, Elvis had grown visibly bored with the direction of his career. During one Las Vegas show, he told the audience he hated the city. In another, he turned to his band and “mouthed the words, ‘Only one more night here,’ and made a face as if he were about to throw up,” a fan noted, per the book <em><a href=”https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/careless-love-peter-guralnick/1101355819″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley</a></em> by Peter Guralnick.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high” width=”1200″ height=”1183″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-album.jpg?strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”A black and white picture of Elvis Presley holding a microphone up to his face.” class=”wp-image-3648088″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-album.jpg 1200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-album.jpg?w=507&h=500 507w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-album.jpg?w=1024&h=1009 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-album.jpg?w=768&h=757 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-album.jpg?w=355&h=350 355w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-album.jpg?w=171&h=169 171w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-album.jpg?w=200&h=197 200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-album.jpg?w=514&h=507 514w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-album.jpg?w=61&h=60 61w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Elvis Presley | Bettmann/Contributor via Getty</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_68″>He had played the same show night after night in Las Vegas for years and the lack of professional challenge was bothering him. When televangelist Rex Humbard visited Elvis after a show, he asked the minister if he should “give up singing and devote himself to the Lord.” Humbard told him that he was doing the Lord’s work by bringing his music to people. While this seemed to comfort Elvis, he still seemed concerned.</p>
<p id=”par-4_27″>“I took both his hands in mine [and] said, ‘Elvis, right now I want to pray for you,’” Humbard said. “He said, ‘Please do,’ and started weeping.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-elvis-grew-bored-of-his-singing-nbsp-career”>Elvis grew bored of his singing career</h2>
<p id=”par-5_28″>Elvis’ frustration with his career brought other emotions out of him. While he sometimes felt worried and vulnerable, his boredom also <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/elvis-became-seething-cauldron-hate-las-vegas.html/”>caused him to lash out</a> at those around him.</p>
<p id=”par-6_56″>“Going in about the third year, there was no challenge,” Elvis’ friend Jerry Schilling said in the book <em><a target=”_blank” href=”https://valsec.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-colonel-alanna-nash/1100367694″ rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The Colonel</a></em> by Alanna Nash. “It was the same songs, and the same audience, and we stayed up all night, and slept all day. We didn’t see sunlight for a couple months. What was once exciting and fun became dark and angry.”</p>
<p id=”par-7_17″>Las Vegas, which had once excited and revitalized him, became a city he resented. He felt trapped.</p>
<p id=”par-8_42″>“Elvis was mad,” his friend Lamar Fike said. “He didn’t want to do it anymore. He said, ‘I want out of this place. I don’t want to come back.’ As a result, this seething cauldron of hate built up in Las Vegas.” </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-he-once-confided-in-a-minister-about-his-discomfort-with-nbsp-fame-nbsp”>He once confided in a minister about his discomfort with fame </h2>
<p id=”par-9_34″>Years before Elvis turned to Humbard for guidance, he sought comfort from his minister. His career began taking off in 1956, bringing him an influx of fans and attention. While he appreciated his success, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/elvis-said-success-scares.html/”>fame frightened him</a>.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” width=”1200″ height=”1178″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-crowd.jpg?strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”A black and white picture of Elvis Presley holding a guitar and waving at his audience.” class=”wp-image-3648356″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-crowd.jpg 1200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-crowd.jpg?w=509&h=500 509w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-crowd.jpg?w=1024&h=1005 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-crowd.jpg?w=768&h=754 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-crowd.jpg?w=357&h=350 357w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-crowd.jpg?w=172&h=169 172w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-crowd.jpg?w=200&h=196 200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-crowd.jpg?w=516&h=507 516w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Elvis-crowd.jpg?w=61&h=60 61w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Elvis Presley | Bettmann/Contributor via Getty</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-10_16″>“I am the most <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/elvis-told-minister-miserable-young-man-seen.html/”>miserable young man</a> you have ever seen,” Elvis told his minister, Reverend James Hamill.</p>
<p id=”par-11_27″>Elvis grew up in a religious household, so he turned to religious leaders when he felt lost. He searched for meaning through spirituality all through his life.</p>