Music / Elvis Presley (The Album)

One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and go, cat, go!

Elvis Presley is the debut studio album by Elvis Presley, released in 1956. Historically famous for being the first rock 'n' roll album to become a best-seller.

It's generally considered to be Elvis' best, despite the original release not containing all of his most famous hits of this time period due to the common practice of not including most hit singles on regular albums (although a few months after the album's release, RCA Victor released all 12 songs of the album on singles, which was rather unusual). This explains why "Blue Suede Shoes" is about the only recognizable Elvis hit on this album. The 1999 reissue fixed this frustrating problem by adding more hits from this time period as bonus tracks, including "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Shake, Rattle And Roll". The 2011 Legacy Edition added several more, including "Hound Dog", "Don't Be Cruel" and "Love Me Tender".

An episode of the documentary series Classic Albums was dedicated to the creative process behind the album.

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Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Blue Suede Shoes" (2:00)
2. "I'm Counting On You" (2:25)
3. "I Got A Woman" (2:25)
4. "One-Sided Love Affair" (2:11)
5. "I Love You Because" (2:43)
6. "Just Because" (2:34)

Side Two

1. "Tutti Frutti" (1:59)
2. "Tryin' To Get To You" (2:31)
3. "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)" (2:01)
4. "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')" (2:24)
5. "Blue Moon" (2:40)
6. "Money Honey" (2:36)

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Blue Suede Tropes:

• Anything but That!: "Blue Suede Shoes" is a list of things that can be done to the narrator, given nothing is done to his shoes...
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: ...including a case of this in a verse.
  Well you can burn my house
  Steal my car
  Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar.
• Berserk Button: Whatever you do: don't step on Elvis' "Blue Suede Shoes".
• Break-Up Song: "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)", where Elvis missed his former girlfriend and cries over her.
• Counting to Three: "Blue Suede Shoes".
  Well, it's one for the money
  Two for the show!
  Three to get ready, now go, cat, go!
• Cover Album: All tracks are covers.
• Deliberately Monochrome: The photograph used on the album cover is in black-and-white.
• Doo-Wop Progression: The version of "Blue Moon" on this album was probably the most influential in making the I-vi-IV-V progression extremely popular in The '50s.
• Face on the Cover: Elvis Presley playing guitar, with Bill Black playing the double bass in the background. That iconic picture was taken by William V. "Red" Robertson, although it was long believed that Popsie Randolph, who took the pictures used on the back cover, was the one who snapped that image since he was the only photograph credited.
• George Lucas Altered Version: This album has been altered with each reissue since 1999, providing more bonus tracks. Interestingly enough this has actually made the album better, because now it has more hits that give a better representation of his work around 1956.
• Mundane Made Awesome: "Blue Suede Shoes" about someone who likes his shoes.
• The Power of Love: Most tracks are love songs.
• Rock & Roll: This album was the first in the genre to become an international million seller, thus popularising rock among the youth worldwide.
• Shout-Out: The album cover of London Calling by The Clash has the same colour typography as this album. As does Rain Dogs by Tom Waits, Distorted Dimensions by Mad Sin in 1990, F-Punk by Big Audio Dynamite in 1995, and Reintarnation in 2006 by k.d. lang. Chumbawamba's controversial single "Tony Blair" pays homage too.

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