US: Love Me Tender and Don't Be Cruel blasted from the public address system on Air Force One, and passengers were served grilled peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches yesterday as president George Bush took Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi to see Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.
A passionate Elvis Presley fan, Mr Koizumi burst into song within minutes of arriving in Graceland's Jungle Room.
"Wise men say/Only fools rush in," he crooned, playing expertly on the air guitar. When Elvis's daughter Lisa Marie, and her mother, Priscilla, arrived to give Mr Koizumi a tour of the mansion, he declared, "I want you, I love you." Wrapping his arm around Lisa Marie, he sang: "Hold me close/Hold me tight."
The visit reflected the affection Mr Bush has developed for the prime minister, who leaves office in November. He gave Mr Koizumi a jukebox stocked with Elvis records.
"I was hoping the prime minister would want to come to Graceland. I knew he loved Elvis - I didn't realise how much he loved Elvis. He not only knows Elvis's history, he can sing a pretty good Elvis song. This visit here shows that not only am I personally fond of the prime minister, but that the ties between our peoples are very strong as well," said Mr Bush.
"It's like a dream. I never expected the president to come with me to visit Graceland," said Mr Koizumi, donning a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses.
Like most visitors to Graceland, Mr Bush and Mr Koizumi saw the Jungle Room, with its ceramic monkeys and animal-head armrests and the glossy black baby-grand piano near the living room's white, three-metre sofa. However, they were not allowed to visit the private upstairs quarters, with the bedroom and bath where Elvis died of heart disease and drug abuse in 1977.
