Search: black velvet
Why: I don't remember why we were singing it (something about fat kids and red velvet cake), but we weren't sure if it had racial (or mixed-race) undertones.
Black velvet and that little boy's smileAnswer: It's about Elvis! I had no idea!
Black Velvet refers to the soulful black sound of Elvis' voice and the many African American recording artists and singers he emulated to create his special brand of rock n' roll.Stuff in the lyrics:
The first verse is about Elvis as a child and youngstar:
Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell
Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high
The boy could sing, knew how to move, everything
Verse 2 is about the height of his career:
Up in Memphis, the music's like a heatwave
"Love Me Tender" leaves 'em cryin' in the aisleThe bridge is about him dyin:
The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true
Every word of every song that he sang was for youSource: Wikipedia, Digital Dream Door
In a flash he was gone, it happened so soon, what could you do?
The More You Know: He would still be alive today, right? He would be younger than my grandmother, who is 86 today (Happy birthday, Nana!!). Look at this neat home movie of Elvis getting his tractor stuck in the mud. It's from 1957, when he was 22:
