About the song
“That’s All Right”… Just the name conjures up images of a swiveling-hipped young man with a voice that could melt butter and shatter glass in the same breath. But this isn’t just another nostalgia trip; it’s a look at the very genesis of rock and roll. Before Elvis, the musical landscape was clearly divided – there was country, there was blues, and there was a whole lot of ‘polite’ pop. Then came this kid from Tupelo, Mississippi, with his slicked-back hair and a sound that defied categorization.
Now, let’s talk about the song itself. It’s a remake of a blues tune by Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, but in Elvis’ hands, it became something else entirely. Scotty Moore’s bright, twangy guitar licks, Bill Black’s upright bass slapping out a rhythm that just wouldn’t quit, and Elvis’ vocals – raw, urgent, and dripping with a kind of youthful swagger that was both thrilling and a little dangerous.
When “That’s All Right” hit the airwaves in the summer of ’54, it was like a sonic earthquake. Folks had never heard anything quite like it. It wasn’t just the music; it was the sheer *attitude* of it all. This wasn’t your typical love song; it was a declaration of independence, a musical middle finger to the status quo. And people responded. They felt that rebellious spark, that sense of possibility that only rock and roll could deliver.
Of course, not everyone got it. The old guard was scandalized. They called it “jungle music,” a primitive, degenerate sound that would corrupt the youth of America. But the kids knew better. They heard the future in those grooves, a future where music was loud, proud, and unapologetically itself.
“That’s All Right” wasn’t just a hit; it was a cultural moment. It was the shot heard ’round the musical world, the opening salvo in a revolution that would change everything. And even today, decades later, when you drop that needle and hear those first few notes, you can still feel that same jolt of excitement, that same sense that something truly special is happening. That’s the power of Elvis, and that’s the enduring magic of “That’s All Right.”
Video
Lyrics
Well, that’s all right, mama
That’s all right for you
That’s all right, mama, just anyway you do
Well, that’s all right, that’s all right
That’s all right now, mama, anyway you do
Well, mama, she done told me
Papa done told me too
“Son, that gal you’re foolin’ with, she ain’t no good for you”
But that’s all right, that’s all right
That’s all right now, mama, anyway you do
I’m leavin’ town, baby
I’m leavin’ town for sure
Well, then you won’t be bothered with me hangin’ ’round your door
But that’s all right, that’s all right
That’s all right now, mama, anyway you do
Ah, da-da-dee, dee, dee-dee
Dee, dee, dee-dee
Dee, dee, dee-dee, I need your lovin’
That’s all right
That’s all right now, mama, anyway you do
