Alannah Myles’ #1 hit “Black Velvet” is a song about Elvis Presley, detailing his childhood in Mississippi to his sudden death at 42, and trying to make sense of the unique power he had over people.
Below is a section-by-section breakdown of the lyrics in “Black Velvet.”
- Song: Black Velvet
- Artist: Alannah Myles
- Songwriters: David Tyson, Christopher Ward
- Released: 1989
- Album: Alannah Myles
- Genre: Country rock, Blues rock
What Is “Black Velvet” About?
Verse 1: Mississippi, 1935
Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell
Jimmie Rodgers on the Victrola up high
Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935, during the Great Depression.
Jimmie Rodgers, who was one of the biggest influences on young Elvis, was playing on record players in homes across the South.
Mama’s dancin’ with baby on her shoulder
The sun is settin’ like molasses in the sky
Gladys Presley is dancing with baby Elvis before the world knew who he was.
Mississippi summers can be brutal. People wanted the sun to go down and bring some relief.
Pre-Chorus 1: The Boy Could Sing
The boy could sing, knew how to move, everything
Always wanting more, he’d leave you longing for…
His talent was obvious early.
He could sing and move in ways that made people feel something they hadn’t felt before, and he always left them wanting more.
Chorus: A New Religion
Black velvet and that little boy’s smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
Elvis’ voice was widely described as having a velvety quality.
After his death, his portrait became one of the most popular subjects for black velvet paintings, a folk art form that is associated with him even today.
A new religion that’ll bring ya to your knees
Black velvet if you please
Elvis grew up surrounded by Southern Fundamentalist preachers who knew how to work a church full of people.
He could do the same thing with his fans.
Verse 2: Memphis
Up in Memphis, the music’s like a heatwave
White lightning, bound to drive you wild
Elvis moved with his family to Memphis in 1948. It was where blues, gospel, and country were all popular, and Elvis absorbed all of it.
White lightning usually refers to moonshine, but here it also refers to the white artists who brought the sound of black musicians to mainstream America. Elvis was one of the first to do that at scale.
Mama’s baby’s in the heart of every schoolgirl
“Love Me Tender” leaves ’em cryin’ in the aisle
Love Me Tender was Elvis’ first film. His character dies at the end, and girls cried in the theater aisles across the country.
Girls were also known to cry when he sang the hit song of the same name at his live shows.
Pre-Chorus 2: A Guilty Pleasure
The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true
Always wanting more, he’d leave you longing for
Many parents and religious figures at the time considered Elvis’ movements genuinely sinful.
But “sin” also means the guilty pleasure of watching something you couldn’t look away from.
Bridge: Gone Too Soon
Every word of every song that he sang was for you
Elvis could make every person in the room feel like he was singing to them and them alone.
That was part of what made him unlike anyone before or after.
In a flash, he was gone, it happened so soon
What could you do?
His death in 1977 was sudden enough that some people refused to believe it.
What do you do when someone that large disappears that quickly?
“Black Velvet” Song Meaning: The Making of a Legend
“Black Velvet” follows Elvis from a dirt-poor childhood in Depression-era Mississippi to a level of fame that had no real precedent. The song is trying to explain what made him different, and it keeps coming back to the same answer: He had the same power over some people that religion does.
The title line refers to his voice, his image on those folk art paintings, and his stage presence.
Songs Like “Black Velvet”
Here are some songs with similar themes to “Black Velvet”:
1. “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn
In this ’90s track, Cohn sings about going to Memphis, including Elvis’ home, as he tries to connect with something larger than himself.
Related: “Walking in Memphis” Meaning
2. “American Pie” by Don McLean
McLean’s 1971 hit mourns the death of early rock and roll and what the loss of its icons meant to a generation that grew up believing in them.
Related: “American Pie” Meaning
3. “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry
Berry’s 1958 track is another great song about a Southern boy with natural talent who was always heading somewhere bigger.
Final Thoughts
To be completely honest, I was a fan of “Black Velvet” for a long time before I knew what it was actually about. I guess I just didn’t pay attention to what I was singing along with. After I found out it was about Elvis, it only made me appreciate the song more.
Songwriter Christopher Ward managed to detail Presley’s life and impact in about 20 lines, which is very impressive.
Find “Black Velvet” and more great tunes on the Best Karaoke Songs for Women list!
