by Amanda London· Published · Updated
It has been confirmed that “Lights Out” is in fact about Lisa Marie Presley’s famous family. She was born in Memphis, the city which was/is the well-known base of Elvis Presley. That would in large part explain why the locality is mentioned in the chorus as the place where “someone turned the lights out”.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();What’s quite interesting is that metaphor seemingly alluding to Lisa Marie’s “buried and dead” family members. And that’s because on top of this song possessing a dreary tone, the vocalist herself (as well as her son) eventually died prematurely and was also buried at Graceland, Memphis, i.e. her father’s estate.
That’s where Elvis also lies as well Lisa Marie’s paternal grandparents, Gladys and Vernon, the latter of whom she was familiar with. It should be noted that the three of them respectively died in Memphis also.
One reasonable way of making sense out of what’s being put forth is by speculating that the addressee is also the city of Memphis. And as inferred, Lisa has developed a sort of love/hate relationship with this locality. The reason she is so sentimental concerning Memphis is that it may be her home alright, but again, it’s where her “family is buried”. Owing to this, going there reminds her of the death of loved ones.
The Prophecy
The really interesting or perhaps we can even say somewhat-prophetic part of this song comes at the end of the second verse. Here, Presley “(notices) a space left next to them there in Memphis”. It seems in that regard that the vocalist may be hinting at her own death – i.e. there being a plot for her in the family’s graveyard – or something to that effect.
Obviously Lisa Marie would have known that when she did pass away, it was more or less inevitable her body would end up in Graceland. But it’s almost as if she was looking forward to or expecting to die, in a manner of speaking.
Indeed, Presley once described herself as a “dark kid” who “was in destructo mode” as the result of the passing of her aforenoted dad and granddad. She wasn’t suicidal, but evidently, after having lost loved ones at such a young and impressionable age, death was something she ruminated on regularly.
Or in the very least, we can conclude that based on “Lights Out”, such thoughts really permeated her mind at times she visited Memphis. As such, it would also appear that Lisa made a conscientious effort not to be there, which in the grand scheme of things would not have been easy considering that Graceland is synonymous with her family’s fame and wealth.
Lisa Marie
The late Lisa Marie Presley (1968-2023) was a classic example of what has become known as a nepo baby (no offense intended). That’s to say that she had been famous from birth due to being the child of a couple of permanent A-list celebrities.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();Her mother, Priscilla Presley, was for a time a prominent actress in her own right. But more importantly in regards to Lisa’s celebrity was her having been the only child of Elvis Presley (1935-1977) who, even decades after his passing, remains by far one of the most recognizable musicians the industry has ever produced.
Lisa Marie was also for a time married to Michael Jackson (1958-2009), the only musician in American history who can be considered as popular as Elvis. Presley stuck her own foot into industry waters via the dropping of her debut album, “To Whom It May Concern”, in 2003. That outing had a respectable showing, but for the most part she never really took off as a singer.
Lisa Marie did proceed to drop two more LPs though – 2005’s “Now What” and 2012’s “Storm & Grace”.
Release of “Lights Out”
“Lights Out” served as the lead single from Lisa’s aforementioned debut album. It’s official date of release was April 8th, 2003. This song, which was backed by Capitol Records, stands as Lisa’s biggest, and it can be said only hit.
“Lights Out” fared well for itself. It broke the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and also ranked on a few Billboard listings stateside. And as for the entirety of “To Whom It May Concern”, the album achieved RIAA-gold status shortly after release.
Credits for “Lights Out”
Lisa Marie Presley had a hand in writing this song, getting the job done with Glen Ballard and Clif Magness. Andrew Slater produced the track.
Interesting to note is that the bassist on the track is Mike Elizondo. Mike is better known as a behind-the-scenes’ musician. He gained stardom for his contributions to hip-hop and more specifically the earlier goings of Eminem’s career.
Some Noteworthy Stuff
To note, other members of Presley’s family interned at Graceland who were not mentioned earlier include her paternal great-grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley, who passed away in 1980, meaning that Lisa would have known her personally, just as she did Elvis’s father. Also present is Lisa Marie’s own son, Benjamin Storm Keough (aka Benjamin Presley), who took his own life in 2020.
