Porcelain Monkey

Album: Life'll Kill Ya (2000)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song is about Elvis Presley, specifically the decadence and swift decline of his later years. The title refers to a figurine in Elvis' TV room at Graceland. Zevon saw his longtime songwriting partner Jorge Calderon's postcard picture of the room and thought it would make a good starting point for the song.
  • Zevon took a dim view of what he considered Elvis' overrated stature in American music, but decided the story of Elvis' decline would fit in well with the theme of the Life'll Kill Ya album. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Joshua - Twin Cities, MN, for above 2

Comments: 2

  • Pat from Albuquerque, NmApparently Elvis collected and decorated with porcelain monkeys in his later years--a lot of them. Try Googling "Elvis Porcelain Monkeys."
  • Andy from Baltimore, MdI knew it was about Elvis. It's typical Zevon, grim subject, songwriter detached about it. But I couldn't find out what the porcelain monkey was. Thanks for posting that.
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