Alannah Myles Explained the Secret of Her Elvis Presley Tribute ‘Black Velvet’

Elvis Presley inspired numerous songs and one of the most famous is Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet.” The track has a sensual vibe that made it a huge hit and an instant classic. The original version of the song was very different. During an interview, Myles explained the secret ingredient that made “Black Velvet” climb up the charts.

Alannah Myles’ Elvis Presley tribute ‘Black Velvet’ was supposed to sound ‘clunky’

“Black Velvet” is a smokey, old-school song that blurs the line between rock and blues. It has some of the desert rock vibes of two other hits that came out around the same time: Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” and the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself.” “Black Velvet” isn’t as risque as those songs — it’s chaste compared to “I Touch Myself!” However, “Black Velvet” still focuses on Elvis’ attractiveness, showing that the “Can’t Help Falling in Love” singer was a sex symbol even in death.

During a 2020 interview with The Morning Show, Myles discussed how the song’s old-fashioned instrumental was … well … instrumental to its success. “I knew who I was, but we wound up getting there by trial and error. And in doing so, we went through many takes,” she said. “We did a rock ‘n’ roll version of the song, and at the last minute, it was paired down to just vocals, bass, and drums. At five in the morning, we got the track that we wanted — and I believe that’s why it was successful as it was. The old-fashioned clunky rock ‘n’ roll mix was dynamite.” Who knew a song about the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll could use some rock ‘n’ roll?

Alannah Myles didn’t think the song had a big chance of becoming a hit

Myles was surprised by the reaction to “Black Velvet.” “It’s hard to peg, because it’s not the song we all thought would become the classic hit that it became,” Myles said. “There were other songs we thought might stand a better chance of that. But as it turns out, it was the one song that had something very special about it that would become that.”

“We spent a lot of time making that record,” Myles said. “It was the first record for me and it stumped me, if you will.” Myles said she was still trying to figure out her identity as a musician when she released “Black Velvet.”

How ‘Black Velvet’ performed

“Black Velvet” was a juggernaut. Thanks to the song, Myles went from being a nobody to topping the charts. The single was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. It stayed on the chart for a total of 24 weeks. Myles only released one other charting single: “Love Is.” That record peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for 13 weeks.

Both songs appeared on the album Alannah Myles. That album climbed to No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 36 weeks. None of Myles’ other albums reached the Billboard 200.

While Myles didn’t become a superstar, she will always be able to rest on her laurels due to the beauty of “Black Velvet.” And all it took was a little rock ‘n’ roll!