The 35th

I can't really tell you why Elvis Presley is my favorite singer.

The artist, the music, the listener -- a connection exists. You can't explain it.

The fun part is you don't have to explain.

It makes me sad so many folks don't really know Elvis. Look past the stereotype, the bad jokes, the even-worse impersonators (several of them are worth the price of admission), the so-so films and all that kitsch.

Go back to the music. Go back to the man. Take a good listen. Take a good look.

I had put Elvis away, folded him neatly and placed him in a box marked "memories" for most of the last decade. Well, I had ODed on him during my childhood and needed some distance.

And here's the great part. A year or two or three ago, Elvis came back into my life, as if he'd put on the black leather and stepped back into the national consciousness on NBC-TV in December '68. And you know what? He's even better this time around.

I bought a Sirius/XM player in large part so I could listen to Elvis Radio. Jenn would tell you I probably listen too much, but like Jose Feliciano just said from Memphis, "I'd rather be addicted to Elvis Radio than to drugs."

Elvis left us 35 years ago today. The world is a much duller place without him.

It's funny. I feel like he's an old friend. You may think that's nuts. I don't care. Elvis is there when I need him. All these years later, he's still entertaining.

If you don't like him or don't get it, that's OK. I guarantee you have an Elvis in your life. And that's cool. It's what puts the fan in fanatic.

I like the later, mature stuff, more "Suspicious Minds" and less "All Shook Up." But I'll say this. Some of the gems the disc jockeys on Elvis Radio dig up have given me a new appreciation for the "Young Man with a Big Beat" years.

One of these days, I'll make it back to Memphis, to Graceland, to pay my respects. I want to see whether it's changed in 15 years. I want to say thanks.

Forgive me if I am just a little bit maudlin today. I am going to pause. To smile. To listen to the music, that sweet, sweet music. To remember.

God bless ya, Elvis. You'll always be The King to me.

Moonlight Beethoven and a star spangled song

March 3 holds a special place in musical moments.

According to Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac, on this date in 1802, Ludwig van Beethoven published his Moonlight Sonata (No. 14 in C Sharp Minor). Have a listen here.

And, on this date in 1931, Congress passed and President Herbert Hoover signed into a law a declaration making "The Star Spangled Banner" the official National Anthem of the United States.

Two of my favorite versions are unorthodox.

Here is Jose Feliciano's performance of the song during the 1968 World Series.

And here is Marvin Gaye's stunning soulful version at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game.

Finally, here is what is considered to be the best performance of the song, sung by Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV in 1991. A single version was later sold to raise money for soldiers fighting in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and their families.