"Elvis has left the building" is a phrase that was often used by public address announcers at the conclusion ofElvis Presley concerts in order to disperse audiences who lingered in hopes of anencore. It has since become a catchphrase and punchline.[1]
The phrase was first used by promoterHorace Logan on December 15, 1956, at end of Elvis’s last appearance onLouisiana Hayride. In order to accommodate a larger crowd the show was moved from theMunicipal Memorial Auditorium inShreveport,Louisiana, to the then-newHirsch Memorial Coliseum on the grounds of the Louisiana State Fair.[2] Presley had appeared in the middle of the night's lineup, and Logan needed to quiet the audience so that the remaining performers could play. The full quotation was:
All right, all right, Elvis has left the building. I've told you absolutely straight up to this point. You know that. He has left the building. He left the stage and went out the back with the policemen and he is now gone from the building.[3][4]
"Elvis has left the building" is also heard at the end of Presley's March 1961 Pearl Harbor Memorial benefit concert, after he exits at the end of "Hound Dog" and a shortcoda from the band.
Throughout the 1970s, the phrase was captured on record several times, spoken byAl Dvorin.[5] In later years the phrase would be spoken by some of Presley's backup singers to calm down the audience after concerts.[5]
The phrase has since become acatchphrase andpunchline, used to refer to anyone who has exited in some sense (even death). For instance, it might be used when someone makes a dramatic exit from an argument, to relieve tension among those who remain.Baseball broadcasters on radio or television sometimes use the phrase as a humorous way to describe ahome run, which is typically hit over the outfield fence, leaving the field of play. Other examples or variants include:
In the early part of his originalheel run,WWE wrestlerShawn Michaels's departure from the arena during live events would be announced as "The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels has left the building."[7]
Australian Football League commentatorDennis Cometti reversed the phrase while commentating on a skirmish betweenPaul Salmon andNicky Elvis Winmar: "Just as Winmar landed, big Salmon came crashing down on top of him. They're slowly getting up, and now I can report the building has left the Elvis."[8]
A bonus with this name in thevideo gameGTA 2, where the player must kill Presley lookalikes moving through the streets in a single line in less than 5 seconds to get it (the phrase is then spoken, as well as visible on the screen).
American rapperTyler, the Creator spoke the phrase on the track "Window" in his first studio albumGoblin, before sounds of gunshots and screaming could be heard in the background.
