Elvis’ ‘Viva Las Vegas’ Was Written by a Gambler
Elvis Presley‘s “Viva Las Vegas” was one one of several songs by the same musical genius that the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll recorded. Bob Dylan had a lot to say about the songwriter in question in his most recent book. Dylan said the songwriter left the world of professional gambling after two of his fellow musicians gave him a wake-up call.
Elvis Presley’s ‘Viva Las Vegas’ was written by an artist who grew sick of songwriting
“Viva Las Vegas” was co-written by Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus. Pomus was known for writing Elvis’ “Kiss Me Quick,” “Little Sister,” “Surrender,” “Suspicion,” “(Marie’s the Name) His Latest Flame,” and “She’s Not You.” Dylan dedicated his 2022 book The Philosophy of Modern Song to Pomus. Pomus definitely deserved that dedication. Sadly, he isn’t as famous as other behind-the-scenes people in the music industry, like Phil Spector, The Wrecking Crew, or George Martin.
In the book, the “Lay Lady Lay” singer compared the hustle of the entertainment industry to the world of faith healers. “Doc Pomus, though also wheelchair-bound, didn’t need any faith healing — he held his faith somewhere between four of a kind and a straight flush,” Dylan wrote. “Finding songwriting too chancy, he quit for the relative security of dealing high-stakes poker games out of his Manhattan apartment, quitting that only when one of the players left the table one night and washed up in the East River.”
Bob Dylan has a cynical view of a certain city but he likes Elvis Presley’s song about it
Dylan said two famous blues musicians put an end to Pomus’ career as a professional gambler. “Soon after that, B. B. King and Dr. John knocked on Doc’s door and dragged him back to the merely metaphorically cutthroat world of music,” he wrote. “Today, Elvis is gone, the Colonel [Tom Parker] is gone, Doc Pomus is gone. B. B. and Dr. John are gone.
“Meanwhile Hilton now owns 31 hotels in Las Vegas,” Dylan added. “The house always wins. Viva Las Vegas.” While Dylan has a cynical view of Las Vegas, he cited “Viva Las Vegas” as an example of great songwriting. In the book, he also praised “Blue Suede Shoes” and analyzed “Save the Last Dance for Me,” another Pomus composition.
How ‘Viva Las Vegas’ and ZZ Top’s cover of it performed on the charts in the United States
“Viva Las Vegas” was a modest hit in the United States. It climbed to No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for seven weeks. The tune’s performance might surprise some fans, considering how famous “Viva Las Vegas” has become in the following decades. The track appeared on the compilation album Elvis: 2nd to None. That record reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the Billboard 200 for 16 weeks.
ZZ Top covered “Viva Las Vegas” in 1992. The band’s version of the song reached No. 16 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. That rendition stayed on the chart for three weeks. ZZ Top included “Viva Las Vegas” on the album Greatest Hits. That record hit No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 74 weeks.
“Viva Las Vegas” is one of Elvis’ masterpieces and Pomus deserves a lot of the credit for it.
