I was 12 years old again and sobbing at the end of this film

April 18, 2026 — 5:30am

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Watching Baz Luhrmann’s new movie, EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, I realised that not all my heroes’ lyrics reflect contemporary thinking. A Little Less Conversation, while featuring a cracking tune, is a straightforward call for a prospective romantic partner to stop giving her opinions and instead remove all her clothing. It’s a line of argument, in my experience, unlikely to produce the desired outcome.

Suspicious Minds also has problems. It is a case of “he doth protest too much, methinks.” If the balladeer is as innocent as he claims, why is he so fretful about the odd question about his late-night movements? I think his partner is right to be suspicious!

Always on My Mind, meanwhile, boils down to a belief that it’s OK to mistreat your loved one – “Maybe I didn’t treat you/ Quite as good as I should have” – providing you spare them the odd thought.

And perhaps it’s just as well that Baz’s movie didn’t feature Kissin’ Cousins: “She’s a distant cousin, but she’s not too distant with me”.

For all of that, I........

© Brisbane Times