Blue Suede Shoes

Blue Suede Shoes in Marks & Spencer's window (Photo credit: Diego's sideburns)

I wrote a post awhile back on Music and The Sounds of The 50s.

So, I got to thinking about a blues song written by Carl Lee Perkins in 1955 and sang by Elvis, called

Blue Suede Shoes

 

Here are the piano chord progressions in the Key of A.

Well it's one for the money,  two for the show
                      A
Three to get ready now go cat go
    D                                A
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
            E7                                        A
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

        A              A
You can knock me down, step on my face
A                    A
Slander my name all over the place
A                    A
Do anything that you wanna do
  A                A7
But uh uh honey lay off of them shoes
    D                                A
And don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
       E7                                        A
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

(let's go cat!)

Instrumental:  A  A  D  A  E7  A

             A              A
Well you can burn my house, steal my car
A                        A
Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar
A                    A
Do anything that you wanna do
  A                A7
But uh uh honey lay off of my shoes
    D                                A
And don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
       E7                                        A
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

(rock it!)

Instrumental:  A  A  D  A  E7  A

          A                   A
Well it's one for the money,  two for the show
 A                    A
Three to get ready now go go go
    D                                A
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
            E7                                        A
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

         A
Well it's blue, blue, blue suede shoes
A
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes, yeah
D
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes baby
A
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes
            E7                                        A
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

I have often played this popular song in F. Here are the keyboard chord progressions to this song.

                         F7                  F7

Well it's one for the money,  two for the show
                      F7
Three to get ready now go cat go
    Bb7                                F
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
            C7                                        F
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

                  F7              F7
You can knock me down, step on my face
                                  F7
Slander my name all over the place
                            F7
Do anything that you wanna do
                  F7
But uh uh honey lay off of them shoes
    Bb7                                F
And don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
       C7                                        F
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

(let's go cat!)

Instrumental: F  F  Bb  F  C7  F

                     F7              F7
Well you can burn my house, steal my car
                                  F7
Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar
                           
Do anything that you wanna do
                 F                F7
But uh uh honey lay off of my shoes
    Bb                                F
And don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
       C7                                        F
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

(rock it!)

Instrumental:  F  F  Bb  F  C7  F

          F                   F
Well it's one for the money,  two for the show
 F                    F
Three to get ready now go go go
    Bb                                F
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
            C7                                        F
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

         F
Well it's blue, blue, blue suede shoes
F
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes, yeah
Bb
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes baby
F
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes
            C7                                        F
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

Chord Structure

Play F7 as FEb/F and Bb7 as Bb/DAb, and Bb/AbF

F = F/AC, and F/AF

Bb = Bb/BbD

C = C/EC

F7(#9) = FA/EbG#

There's this cool bass walk up with single left hand notes"

F, F, C, D, C then Bb, D, F, G, F then F, A, C, D, C, C, B, C

The melody notes in the r.h.  go like this:

 C    D    F   F   F  A A      F   F  F   A

Well it's one for the money,  two for the show
 F     F F   A   A  C   Eb C A                   
Three to get ready now go go go
 F   DBb        AbC        DAb F      AF
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes

        EC      C   C    C  D   D   F DF    F    AF

you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes  

4 Free Video Lessons

Best Wishes and Happy 4th to all my readers in the U.S.







"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King