Elvis and Dylan

From Rolling Stone #1078 (May 2009):

Dylan has quipped that when he first encountered Elvis' voice as a teenager, it was like "busting out of jail." For Dylan, the very fact that Elvis has recorded versions of "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" and "Blowing' in the Winds" remains mind-boggling. Dutifully, as if returning a favor, Dylan recorded Elvis' hit "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such As I" during both the Basement Tapes and Self-Portrait sessions.

But that was about as close as they ever got. "I never met Elvis," Dylan says. "I never met Elvis, because I didn't want to meet Elvis. Elvis was in his Sixties movie period, and he was just crankin' 'em out and knockin' 'em off, one after another. And Elvis had kind of fallen out of favor in the Sixties. He didn't really come back until, whatever was it, '68? I know the Beatles went to see him, and he just played with their heads. 'Cause George [Harrison] told me about the scene. And Derek [Taylor], one of the guys who used to work for him. Elvis was truly some sort of American king. His face is even on the Statute of Liberty. And, well, like I said, I wouldn't quite say he was ridiculed, but close. You see, the music scene had gone past him, and nobody bought his records. Nobody young wanted to listen to him or be like him. Nobody went to his movies, as far as I know. He just wasn't in anybody's mind. Two or three times we were up in Hollywood, and he had sent some of the Memphis Mafia down to where we were to bring us up to see Elvis. But none of us went. Because it seemed like a sorry thing to do. I don't know if I would have wanted to see Elvis like that. I wanted to see the powerful, mystical Elvis that had crashed-landed from a burning star onto American soil. The Elvis that was bursting with life. That's the Elvis that inspired us to all the possibilities of life. And that Elvis was gone, had left the building."

For those of you who knows me, you know I'm a big fan of Elvis and Dylan. Dream holidays: to catch a Dylan gig overseas and to visit Graceland and the Sun Studios.

And the Elvis Dylan was talking about:

Well get out of that bed, wash your face and hands
Get out of that bed, wash your face and hands
Well get in that kitchen
Make some noise with the pots and pans
I believe it to my soul you're the devil in nylon hose
I believe it to my soul you're the devil in nylon hose
For the harder I work the faster my money goes

Well I said shake, rattle and roll
I said shake rattle and roll
I said shake, rattle and roll
I said shake rattle and roll
Well you won't do right
To save your doggone soul

Shake rattle and roll

I'm like the one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store
I'm like the one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store
Well I can look at you till you ain't no child no more
I believe you're doing me wrong and now I know
I believe you're doing me wrong and now I know
cause the harder I work the faster my money goes

You're wearing those dresses, sun comes shining through.
You're wearing those dresses, sun comes shining through.
I can't believe my eyes all that mess belongs to you.

Well I said shake, rattle and roll
I said shake rattle and roll
I said shake, rattle and roll
I said shake rattle and roll
Well you won't do right
To save your doggone soul

Play it again!

I went over the hill, way down underneath
I went over the hill, way down underneath
You make me roll my eyes
And then you make me grit my teeth

Well I said shake, rattle and roll
I said shake rattle and roll
I said shake, rattle and roll
I said shake rattle and roll
Well you won't do right
To save your doggone soul

Ok, did you get that - "one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store/look at you till you ain't no child no more."

and "You make me roll my eyes/And then you make me grit my teeth"

Elvis performed the song on the January 28, 1956 broadcast of the Dorsey Brothers Stage Show minus the 'dirty' parts:

"You're wearing those dresses, sun comes shining through/I can't believe my eyes all that mess belongs to you."

The TV censors must have been stupid. The whole song is dirty, dammit! And that's why we love Elvis. He's the original escape artist and he showed us what we could and should get away with.

Elvis was an alien alright, way before Bowie claimed that title. Out of this world and still inspiring the rest of us. [i was listening to Shake Rattle and Roll on the bus to work one morning a few weeks ago, helped me to survive the day.]

And despite not wanting to meet Elvis in the 60s, Dylan still admires the King. He once went to Tupelo, Mississippi to soak in the essence of Elvis.

One day, I'm going to make that journey too.