By 1957, Elvis Presley was the most talked-about young singer in America. Girls screamed outside his shows, Hollywood actresses wanted to meet him and magazines eagerly connected his name to almost any beautiful woman seen nearby. Behind the headlines, however, Elvis admitted that finding real love had become far more complicated than anyone imagined.
During an interview in Los Angeles, Elvis was asked about the women he had invited to visit him in Memphis. He named actresses including Venetia Stevenson, Natalie Wood and Yvonne Lime. He said he paid their travel expenses, then took them riding on motorcycles, horseback riding or to the movies. When asked whether more women would receive invitations, he jokingly replied, “File your application at the door, honey.”
Elvis Talks About Dating and Searching for the Right Woman
The playful answers showed the charming side of the young star, but they also revealed how restricted his life had already become. Elvis said ordinary dates were nearly impossible because crowds followed him everywhere. A quiet evening often meant driving around, eating inside his apartment, visiting a drive-in or waiting until late at night to enter a movie theater.
Elvis also corrected reports that Anita Wood was his “number one girlfriend.” He explained that a photographer had asked him to kiss her at a train station and a misunderstanding soon became a romantic headline. Although he admitted that he had nearly become engaged twice before fame, he said he was not ready to choose one woman. “I prefer to date ’em all until I find the right one,” he declared. He also acknowledged that some women had pursued him for publicity, though he politely refused to identify them.
Priscilla Presley Reveals the Truth About Loving and Leaving Elvis
Only two years after that revealing interview, Elvis met Priscilla Beaulieu while serving in Germany. Their relationship eventually led to marriage in 1967 and the birth of their daughter Lisa Marie in 1968. Yet the “right one” Elvis had spoken about as a young man did not bring a simple Hollywood ending. In this more recent interview, Priscilla reflects on loving Elvis, leaving their marriage and carrying the memories and heartbreak long after his death.
Elvis became far more than the handsome young man whose dates filled gossip columns. He transformed popular music, made history on television, starred in more than 30 films and built a legacy that continues to reach new generations. Still, this early confession reminds us that beneath the fame was a young man trying to determine who truly loved Elvis Presley and who only wanted to stand beside the King.