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On April 28, 1964, Elvis Presley released Viva Las Vegas, a song which became a part of a movie by the same name. Now, sixty-one years after that, Las Vegas celebrated the iconic music that reportedly became one of the multiple theme songs for the Nevada city.
On April 28, 2025, Clark County, Nevada, shared a clip from the song on X and wrote:
"61 years ago #OnThisDay, April 28, 1964 "Viva Las #Vegas! debuted. Performed by the King #ElvisPresley, it's one of our theme songs. "Viva Las Vegas" was from the movie of the same name."
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While the song came out in April 1964, the movie was released on May 20 in the same year. In the rock and roll musical film, Elvis Presley played the character of a race car driver named Lucky Jackson. On the other hand, Ann-Margaret Olsson portrayed Rusty Martin, who was a swimming instructor at a hotel.
The movie also featured cast members like Cesare Danova, William Demarest, Teri Garr, and Jack Carter. The 1964 film is widely considered one of Elvis's best movies and later became one of his highest-grossing films.
In the movie, Lucky travels to Las Vegas to take part in the Grand Prix Race, only to end up working at a hotel to earn money. Over time, Lucky tries to win over Rusty. The twist comes with the arrival of Count Elmo Mancini, who tries to woo Rusty as well as win the race.
According to thenumbers.com, the film grossed over $9 million at the box office.
Exploring more about Elvis Presley's 1964 song Viva Las Vegas
The song, Viva Las Vegas, gained immense popularity over the years, even though Elvis Presley reportedly never performed it live. The song's recording took place in July 1963. It was released alongside Elvis' version of What’d I Say, which eventually secured 21st position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while Viva Las Vegas peaked at 29th.
Viva Las Vegas was even used in a 2010 dance rhythm video game called Just Dance 2. In 2024, Travis Kelce sang a part of this song at the trophy ceremony of Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium, when the Kansas City Chiefs won. A sardonic version of this song also made its place in the Dead Kennedys band's album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables.
In this version of the track by Elvis Presley, there were references to cocaine and methamphetamine. The track made it to the charts in several countries beyond the US, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, the UK, and Sweden. This iconic track of Elvis even got a mention by Bob Dylan in his 2022 book, The Philosophy of Modern Song.
In the book, Bob wrote:
"This is a song about faith. The kind of faith where you step under a shower spigot in the middle of the desert and fully believe water will come out."
While the song and the movie debuted 61 years ago, fans still seem to find it relevant and enjoy it as well.
