Presley, meanwhile, had won an unexpected victory of his own. Thanks to the courage of a young producer named Steve Binder, Elvis did not appear in a tuxedo and croon "Silent Night" to a room of cameramen for his upcoming Christmas Special. In a move slated to recapture the excitement of what had once been Elvis Presley, Binder (who had been given full control of the program’s content by NBC, thanks to encouragement from the network’s business affiliate, RCA) reunited the star with Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana for several mini-concerts performed in front of a live studio audience. Elvis recreated his rebel image by dressing in a black leather jacket and matching pants.

Edited film of the 30-minute concerts comprised about half of the hour-long special that aired on December 3, 1968. Taped studio sequences were added into the program throughout, though, unfortunately, due to final editing at the insistence of the ever-present Colonel, the plot line suffered dramatically. The original idea had been to tell the story of a guitar man encountering temptations and evil along the road to success. The "evil" was represented by a racy bordello scene, all of which wound up on the cutting room floor.

The strength of Presley’s performances kept viewers enthralled nonetheless. Donning a classy white suit for his finale, Elvis put his heart and soul into "If I Can Dream," a "message song" specifically written for the program. The lyrics reflected on the recent assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King—exactly the type of material the Colonel had previously avoided.

RCA was so anxious to promote the record that they released it well before the show’s broadcast, no doubt hindering sales. Regardless, "If I Can Dream" proved Elvis’ biggest hit in three-plus years, climbing to number twelve in the U.S., and eleven on the British chart. The accompanying soundtrack album reached number eight and two, respectively.

"I’ll never sing another song I don’t believe it," Presley told Binder after watching a tape of his performance. "I’m never going to make another movie that I don’t believe in."

A newly energized Presley emerged from the special determined to regain control of his career. In the two months following the screening of the NBC special, he recorded his most innovative material since the Sam Phillips era. In January, six sessions at American Sound studios in Memphis produced a whooping nineteen new songs, spanning the genres of country, pop, and rhythm-and-blues. He returned in February to cut fourteen additional tunes. "From Elvis In Memphis," the first album to showcase Presley’s revamped sound, was released in June 1969. Sales rivaled that of the recent television special soundtrack. The accompanying single, "In The Ghetto," climbed all the way to number three on Billboard’s chart. On the Beatles’ home turf, the album hit number one. "In The Ghetto" reached number two.

Presley’s summer engagement at the International Hotel, in which he performed 57 shows from July 31–August 28, capped his return to the throne. "Oozing the sullen sexuality that threw America into a state of shock in the 50’s, he groaned and swiveled through a medley of ‘Jailhouse Rock,’ ‘Don’t Be Cruel,’ ‘Heartbreak Hotel,’ ‘All Shook Up,’ and ‘Hound Dog.’ It was hard to believe he was 34 and no longer 19," exclaimed Newsweek. "Elvis is back," Rock Music reported. "He had been away."

As Elvis basked in the glory of critics’ praise for the first time in nearly a decade, the Beatles were penning the material for their final album, "Let It Be." Citing irreconcilable differences, the foursome disbanded in 1970 to pursue individual careers. None would equal, or even come close to, the success of their combined efforts.