Bob Dylan Explained Why Elvis Was More Famous Than the Original ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ Singer
While Elvis Presley‘s “Blue Suede Shoes” remains one of the most famous tracks of the 1950s, fans should remember that the tune was originally by Carl Perkins. Bob Dylan offered his take on the situation. He also had some interesting things to say about shoes in general.
A car accident caused Elvis’ ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ to overshadow the original
In his 2022 book The Philosophy of Modern Song, Dylan praised Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes.” He said there are numerous tunes about shoes. He said “Blue Suede Shoes” was wonderfully menacing, with its implied threat of violence. He felt the tune highlighted that stepping on someone’s shoes could be a greater insult than bashing their teeth in, beating them up, or discrediting them.
While Dylan liked Perkins’ signature hit, he didn’t think Perkins’ career was that successful. “Poor Carl Perkins, watching Elvis Presley sing his song ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ on TV in 1956 from a hospital bed,” he said. “At that point, Carl’s version had sold half a million copies, but a car accident on the way to The Perry Como Show slowed the momentum of Carl’s career and it never truly recovered. But, perhaps, he was never truly meant to be the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” That tile is highly contested, but nobody ever applies it to Perkins.
Bob Dylan had a lot to say about Elvis’ appeal
The “Lay Lady Lay” singer further contrasted Perkins with Elvis. “[Perkins’] ballads, like ‘Sure to Fall,’ were achingly beautiful but hillbilly at their heart,” he said. “Songs like ‘Tennessee’ were certainly worlds away from Chuck Berry’s ‘Promised Land,’ going so far as to brag that they ‘built the first atomic bomb in Tennessee.’ Carl was too much the country boy for the rock ‘n’ roll crown.
“Elvis, on the other hand, was all sullen eyes and sharp cheekbones, backwoods-born but city-livin’, truck-drivin’, hip-shakin’ with a feral whiff of danger,” he added. “Carl wrote this song, but if Elvis was alive today, he’d be the one to have a deal with Nike.” To Dylan’s point, there has been a big budget biopic of Elvis in recent years but there’s no big budget Perkins biopic on the horizon.
Johnny Cash said one of his anecdotes inspired ‘Blue Suede Shoes’
Notably, Johnny Cash said he had a connection to “Blue Suede Shoes.” In his 1997 book Cash: The Autobiography, the “Ring of Fire” singer said that he met an airman named C. V. White. White said his initials stood for “Champagne Velvet” but Cash never knew if this was actually the case.
One time, White asked Cash not to step on his blue suede shoes. Cash said the shoes were actually black. White insisted that his shoes were blue suede and nobody should step on them. Cash said he told this story to Perkins, who decided to turn it into his most famous song.
Perkins released other important songs such as “Honey Don’t” and “Matchbox.” The Beatles covered both of those tracks. Even if Perkins wasn’t as popular as Elvis, he still gave us the best song about shoes.
