If you’ve ever toured Graceland, you remember the TV Room. It’s downstairs, and it’s one of the boldest rooms in the whole house.
Three television sets are built right into one wall, side by side. The colors jump out at you, a bright mix of yellow, navy and white. There’s a lightning bolt on the wall that ties back to Elvis’s personal motto. And a mirrored bar area makes the whole space feel bigger than it is.
It’s pure Elvis. Fun, loud and a little over the top.
A full walk through Elvis’s Graceland, room by room
Before we get to the TV Room itself, take this tour through the mansion to see how Elvis really lived. The downstairs rooms are where his personality comes out the most.
But here’s the question that stumps almost everybody. Why three TVs? Who in the world watches three shows at once?
Elvis didn’t dream that idea up on his own. He borrowed it from someone famous. Someone you would never connect with a rock and roll star.
Give it a guess before you read on.
The answer is President Lyndon B. Johnson.
LBJ was known for watching all three network news programs at the same time, so he wouldn’t miss a thing any station reported. When Elvis heard about that setup, he loved it. He had his own version built right into Graceland so he could keep an eye on several programs at once, just like the man in the White House.
A rock and roll king taking decorating tips from a president. Who would have guessed.
Inside the TV Room, where Elvis relaxed with his three sets
Here’s a close-up look at the room itself. Keep your eye out for that lightning bolt, which stands for Elvis’s famous “TCB” motto, Taking Care of Business.
What’s nice about this room is how human it makes him feel. The biggest entertainer on earth, kicking back after a long night, flipping between three screens with a snack in hand.
He wasn’t trying to show off. He just didn’t want to miss anything, the same reason a lot of us keep one eye on the game and one on our phones these days.
Next time you take the Graceland tour and pass those three glowing screens, you’ll know the real story behind them. Elvis got the idea straight from the White House.