人物 | 猫王：我们永远记得你

Always on our minds: "The King"

① He broke onto the music scene in 1956, crooning "They call me poor boy".

break onto the music scene: 出道；闯入音乐界

croon /kru:n/: vt. 温柔地唱；低声地唱

② In 1960 he lamented fame and fortune and "how empty they can be".

lament /ləˈmɛnt/: vt. 抱怨；哀悼

③ Finally, three years before his death at the tender age of 42, came a plaintive cry: "Help Me".

tender age: 幼年

plaintive /ˈpleɪntɪv/: adj. 哀伤的；悲哀的

④ Many have compared Elvis Presley's life—with its humble beginnings, rise to superstardom and sad decline—to that of a flawed, tragic hero.

compare A to B: 把 A 比作是 B

flawed /flɔːd/: adj. 有瑕疵的

⑤ Eugene Jarecki, a documentarian, saw it as a "cautionary allegory" of America's democracy.

documentarian /ˌdɒkjʊmɛnˈtɛ:rɪən/: n. 纪录片制作人

cautionary allegory/tale /ˈalɪɡ(ə)ri/:  警世寓言/故事

⑥ In "The King", released yesterday, Mr Jarecki takes a cross-country road trip in Presley's Rolls-Royce, picking up assorted passengers, including celebrities, to discuss Elvis's legacy, his relationship with black culture, the American dream and the challenges it now faces.

Rolls-royce: 劳斯莱斯

assorted passengers: 各种各样的乘客

⑦ "I thought that the country had indeed perhaps died on the toilet, choked by our addiction to power, money and excess," Mr Jarecki says.

choke /tʃəʊk/: vt. 呛；窒息

excess /ɪkˈsɛs/: n. 无节制；过度

⑧ But "America and Elvis were always imperfect—works-in-progress, full of greatness and shortcomings."

works-in-progress: 进行、演变中的作品