his Week in Rock History: Bruce Springsteen Breaks Into Grac

This Week in Rock History: Bruce Springsteen Breaks Into Graceland
April 30, 1976 - Bruce Springsteen hops the fence at Graceland

Anyone who's attended a Bruce Springsteen show knows that the man can talk a blue streak: his legendary three-hour sets are littered with long anecdotes, and there's no story the Boss loves telling more than the time he got booted from Elvis Presley's front porch.

In 1976, while in Memphis on their hugely successful Born to Run tour, 26-year-old Springsteen and his E-Street Band cohort Steve Van Zandt decided to pay a 3 a.m. visit to Graceland. When he saw lights blazing inside the mansion, Springsteen climbed over the wall and ran to the front door; just as he was about to ring the doorbell, he was intercepted by security. Explaining his newfound rock fame and his recent covers of both Time and Newsweek, Springsteen poured on the charm and begged to be let inside – but instead, the unimpressed guards told him that Presley was out of town (which was true) and escorted him promptly to the sidewalk.

Elvis died at Graceland the following year. Regardless, he is united forever with Springsteen on the cover of Born to Run, where the Boss's guitar strap proudly bears an Elvis fan club button.

The Boss is a massive Elvis fan and quite often sings Elvis songs as his own tribute to his idol.