Jeff Greenfield, in a rhetorical question to the National Review's William Buckley Jr. who surprised him with his deep appreciation for Elvis' voice, in an interview aired at CNN on September 3, 2001

Well, what strikes me about it is there may be a lesson here in how the great wheel turns, that is, in 1956, when Presley hit the national scene and some of us rock 'n' roll aficionados found him entertaining it's safe to say, I would guess the art section of the "National Review" didn't greet him at the time with hosannas. And now, by the time he died, he becomes Middle America's favorite guy, the guy who was nice to his mother, emblematic of the values that people thought 20 years earlier he was challenging?

— Jeff Greenfield

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Well, what strikes me about it is there may be a lesson here in how the great wheel turns, that is, in 1956, when Presley hit the national scene and some of us rock 'n' roll aficionados found him entertaining it's safe to say, I would guess the art section of the "National Review" didn't greet him at the time with hosannas. And now, by the time he died, he becomes Middle America's favorite guy, the guy who was nice to his mother, emblematic of the values that people thought 20 years earlier he was challenging?" in the context of "Jeff Greenfield, in a rhetorical question to the National Review's William Buckley Jr. who surprised him with his deep appreciation for Elvis' voice, in an interview aired at CNN on September 3, 2001" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Elvis Presley" (Quotes about Elvis Presley: The last names, or first or given names by which people are best known and whose quotes are included below are arranged alphabetically, for ease of reference. When the person being quoted has a royal, or religious title, they can be found by looking for their first or adopted name. Examples: Bhumibol King of Thailand; Elizabeth II Queen of England; Albert II Prince of Monaco; Astrid, Princess of Norway; Deborah Duchess of Devonshire; Pope Benedict XVI ., G) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed February 05, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Elvis Presley

About Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley (8 January 1935 – 16 August 1977) was an American singer, musician, and actor. Popularly known by his first name as "Elvis," as "The King of Rock and Roll" or simply as "The King," he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century.