In the first, a young Japanese couple view Memphis as a musical mecca, visiting Sun Studios and Graceland with a sort of reverence. During their stay, they are confronted with an array of quirky Memphis natives, most notably a nearly unintelligible tour guide at Sun Studios, whose Southern drawl and perky inflection leave the young couple dazed. Each interaction with the natives of Memphis, as well as the pervasive presence of Elvis throughout the film the Japanese girl s chatter about him, the sleazeball s story, the ghost that speaks to the Italian woman, the Englishman s nickname, the haunting velvet paintings in the hotel rooms, and Blue Moon at three o clock in the morning, all add to the caricature of American life, poking gentle fun at its shallow history. Whereas the histories of the foreigners countries are storied and deep-rooted, America is shown to have a simpler version that nevertheless fascinates not only Americans, but visitors from other parts of the world, as well. This point is accented in the scene where the Japanese girl compares the face of Elvis with that of the Buddha and the Statue of Liberty, among others.
Music also plays an integral role in the film.
It is introduced with the Japanese couple when they pop in a tape on the train, and is given increasingly special attention as they constantly discuss rock and roll s greatest figures most notably, of course, Elvis himself. The three stories and the front desk of the hotel at which all of the characters spend a night ultimately become connected by the same broadcast of Blue Moon, which ensures that the viewers can place themselves within the temporal space of the film. Therefore, music gradually becomes more and more of a focal part of the film s progression, eventually becoming the major clue to solving the plot s mystery.