Bob Dylan Said Elvis’ ‘Viva Las Vegas’ Perfectly Gets a Gambler’s Mindset

There are lots of great classic rock songs out there, but most of them don’t inspire lengthy reviews from the one and only Bob Dylan. Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas” inspired some great poetry from Dylan. Shockingly, the song itself wasn’t that popular. That might be because it came out during a dark time in Elvis’ career.

Bob Dylan wrote Elvis Presley’s ‘Viva Las Vegas’ is about ‘the devil’s bones’

For his 2022 book The Philosophy of Modern Song, Dylan wrote an essay about “Viva Las Vegas.” It started out beautifully, which is to be expected. After all, the “Lay Lady Lay” singer won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

“The song of the gambler, the sportsman — luck of the draw — short odds, long odds, a flip of the coin, raffles, lottos, and the devil’s bones,” he said. “The roulette wheel, pinball machine, the switched-on city, the star-spangled city. This is the place where your personality bursts into flame. This is the place you take calculated risks, where you defy danger and run up a fortune, like Rothschild, Hobbs, du Pont, Vanderbilt — spending money like water, like a drunken sailor.” For context, the Rothschild family, Eddie Hobbs, John du Pont, and Cornelius Vanderbilt are all famous for their immense wealth.

Bob Dylan said ‘Viva Las Vegas’ is about ‘dancing on the razor’s edge’

Dylan further discussed the gambling mindset. “Boomtown of all boomtowns,” he wrote. “Living beyond your means, a blinding sort of place. You put up the money and you boost up the odds. Money mongering, living on credit, telling everybody you’re able to pay.”

Dylan seemed to praise Las Vegas itself. “Long live this place, with its ever so many countless women — the broads and dames, chicks and dolls, escorts, partners, and bodyguards,” he said. “All the women folk, wide open, free-living — dancing on the razor’s edge.”

Why the song wasn’t 1 of Elvis Presley’s bigger hits

“Viva Las Vegas” became a modest hit in the United States, at best. The track reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for seven weeks. In retrospect, it’s almost shocking that “Viva Las Vegas” didn’t perform better. Perhaps the song would have been more popular if it came out at another time. The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits reports Elvis’ career took a major downturn between late 1963 and 1968. “Viva Las Vegas” came out in 1964. It might have been a No. 1 single if it came out in one of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll‘s peak years, such as 1956.

“Viva Las Vegas” was thusly kept off of Elvis: 30 #1 Hits, a compilation of chart-toppers. At this point, Elvis: 30 #1 Hits might be the “Can’t Help Falling in Love” singer‘s most famous album. It appeared on the compilation’s sequel: Elvis: 2nd to None. Notably, that record didn’t have an overall theme like Elvis: 30 #1 Hits, so it’s just a random (albeit satisfying) collection of songs that did not hit No. 1. Elvis: 2nd to None peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 16 weeks. Elvis: 2nd to None was nowhere near as successful as Elvis: 30 #1 Hits.

“Viva Las Vegas” is a great song and it inspired a cool essay from Dylan.