"Do the Clam" singer Elvis Presley with a woman

Music

Elvis Presley’s ‘Do the Clam’ Isn’t That Bad, Actually

Elvis Presley's "Do the Clam" is one of the most infamous songs in his discography. While "Do the Clam" is easy to mock, it has redeeming qualities that go unnoticed.

by Matthew Trzcinski

Published on March 2, 2024

2 min read

Elvis Presley’s ‘Do the Clam’ is great because it’s bad

“Do the Clam” is a rock song were Elvis implores his audience to do a novelty dance called The Clam that never caught on. It has a fun beat, and Elvis’ vocals are as good as ever. However, the lyrics of the song are so ridiculous that many listeners can’t enjoy it.

Here’s the paradox: “Do the Clam” is good because it’s so oddball and undignified. It’s the pinnacle of so-bad-it’s good music. Listening to the song, you can’t help but laugh at the thought that a dance called The Clam was ever going to become a real fad like Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” or “Macarena” by Los del Río. It’s the song of heart-on-its-sleeve silliness that modern pop culture doesn’t indulge in enough. For that reason, I salute “Do the Clam” and hope that other fans of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and classic rock in general will do likewise.

Why Elvis Presley’s song isn’t as beloved as The Beatles’ novelties

So why is “Do the Clam” so hated? The Beatles put out plenty of silly novelty songs, including “Octopus’s Garden,” “Yellow Submarine,” and “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” none of those songs are as infamous as “Do the Clam” even if they’re not more intelligent.

The Beatles generally delivered their novelty hits with a wink and a smile. They knew those songs were silly, and they leaned into it. Elvis plays “Do the Clam” very straight. It works well for the song, but The Beatles are easier to defend because they were more self-aware.

‘Do the Clam’ was written by an actor known for bad movies

“Do the Clam” was co-written by Dolores Fuller, an actor known for her appearances in the cheesy B movies Glen or Glenda and Bride of the Monster. During an interview with Elvis Australia, she was asked what it was like to work with the “Heartbreak Hotel” singer. “Well, you didn’t really work with Elvis,” he said. “If you were lucky, I was invited to the set when they were shooting one of my songs. And Elvis was very well mannered, he called me ‘Ma’am.’ And he would come over to me and sometimes invite me over to some party that was going on, when he lived over in Bel Air. And sometimes I’d have lunch with him at the commissary.

“But mainly, you just worked with the publisher,” she added. “And all these teams of writers would submit their songs, and I’m lucky enough to have gotten 12 movies. ‘Rock-A-Hula Baby’ was probably the most important. ‘Do the Clam’ and ‘Spinout.’ ‘Got Lucky,’ ‘Beyond the Bend,’ ‘Cindy Cindy.’ ‘Big Love Big Heartache,’ you know. Fun.”

Maybe, if you can let your sense of good taste go for three minutes and seventeen seconds, “Do the Clam” is a little bit of silly fun.