Chords + Lyrics | Blue Suede Shoes
Verse 1
| N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C | N.C |
Well, it’s a one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready now go, cat, go.
| D | D | A | A |
But don’t you step on my blue suede shoes.
| E7 | E7 | A | A (E G) |
Well, you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.
Verse 2
| A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) |
Well, you can knock me down, step in my face, slander my name all over the place.
| A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C | N.C |
We’ll do anything that you wanna do, but uh-uh Honey, lay off of them shoes.
| D | D | A | A |
And don’t you step on my blue suede shoes.
| E7 | E7 | A | A |
Well, you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes. Let’s go cats!
Solo 1
| A | A | A | A |
Oh, walk the dogs.
| D | D | A | A |
| E7 | E7 | A | A (E G) |
Verse 3 (as verse 2)
Well, you can burn my house, steal my car. Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar.
We’ll do anything that you wanna do, but uh-uh Honey, lay off of my shoes.
And don’t you step on my blue suede shoes.
Well, you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes. Rock it!
Solo 2
| A | A | A | A |
Yeah.
| D | D | A | A |
| E7 | E7 | A | A (E G) |
Verse 4 (as verse 1)
Well, it’s a one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready now go, go, go.
But don’t you step on my blue suede shoes.
Well, you can do anything but lay-ay off of my blue suede shoes.
Outro
| A | A | A | A |
Well, it’s blue, blue, blue suede shoes. Blue, blue, blue suede shoes, yeah.
| D | D | A | A |
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes, baby. Blue, blue, blue suede shoes.
| E7 | E7 | A | A |
Well, you do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.
Blue Suede Shoes Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Blue Suede Shoes. I’ve used stem-seperation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar to 437Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
At its core, Blue Suede Shoes follows a standard 12-bar blues progression with stops, played in the key of A, extended to 16-bars in verse 2 and 3.
A key feature is the build-up bass line leading into the A chord: E – G. These notes (the 5th and b7th) suggest that A is functioning as a dominant 7th chord, though the actual stop is played as A5.
The D and E (IV and V) are extended to dom7.
Here’s how the chords line up for verses 1 and 3:
||: N.C (E G) | A5 N.C (E G) | A5 N.C | N.C |
| D7 | D7 | A | A |
| E7 | E7 | A | A (E G) :||
For verses 2 and 4, there are more stops, the rest of the rhythm is identical. During the outro, there are no stops.
The two solos follow the same 12-bar structure as the outro, keeping the arrangement simple and effective.
To get TAB for how to play all the comping and both solos, check the TAB further down this guitar lesson.
When you can play the TAB, use this chord chart to put it all together.
Blue Suede Shoes Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
My chord chart for Blue Suede Shoes is available in two formats: a static PDF and iReal Pro.
Using the iReal Pro app, you can change the key, which is useful if you want to match a singer’s range or experiment with the arrangement.
Blue Suede Shoes | TAB
Let’s go through all sections of Blue Suede Shoes so you can play it with your band.
Verse + Outro
The bass moves from E to G, then resolves to A. The chords are primarily G5 to A5, which you could interpret as Em7 to G, then A5. For simplicity, the chart uses G – A. The rest of the first verse follows a bluesy 12-bar form: D7, A, and E7.
Verses 2 and 3 repeat the stops over a 16-bar form, maintaining the rhythm through the D7 chord, with minor variations in the last bar.
Verse 4 combines elements of the previous concepts.
The outro has no stops and ends with a lick blending minor and major pentatonics—a great study for aspiring blues soloists.
Solos
A key takeaway is how the solos blend the minor pentatonic and major pentatonic scales, add a maj7 for colour, but deliberately avoid the b5—this is essential for that classic rockabilly sound.
The first solo blends minor and major pentatonic notes, adding a maj7 in bar 5. This could be seen as the Conspirian scale or, more formally, a melodic minor approach.
The second solo begins more spaciously, then mixes minor and major pentatonics. Learning these solos and comping patterns is essential—they form the foundation of countless blues and rock riffs.
Once you’ve mastered the TAB, use the chord chart and backing tracks to play along with Elvis.
One of the songs that made Elvis
One of the songs that made Elvis a star, Blue Suede Shoes was originally released by Carl Perkins in January 1956, reaching #2 on the charts.
Elvis was initially hesitant to record it, respecting Perkins and Sun Records’ Sam Phillips, but by September 1956, his version was out with Tutti Frutti as the B-side. Having moved to RCA, Elvis now had wider distribution and stronger radio connections.
That year alone, his hits included Heartbreak Hotel, I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, Don’t Be Cruel, Hound Dog, and Love Me Tender. Blue Suede Shoes opened his debut album, Elvis Presley, cementing his place in rock ’n’ roll history—the King was born.
Blue Suede Shoes Chords: Continue Learning
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