Born in Los Angeles, California on 15th March 1947, Cooder first attracted attention in the 1960s, playing with Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band, after having worked with Taj Mahal in The Rising Sons.
He was a session guitarist on various recording sessions with the Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969; Cooder's contributions most notably appear on the Stones' Beggars Banquet where he shares a prominent credit with pianist, Nicky Hopkins on the back cover. He continued to appear on the succeeding albums, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers, on which he contributed the haunting slide guitar solo to "Sister Morphine". Cooder is reputed to have taught Keith Richards to play in open-G tuning, now a Richards hallmark, as well as to have written the open-G signature riff of "Honky Tonk Women". He was briefly considered to fill the departed Brian Jones' place in the Rolling Stones, but reportedly Cooder and Keith Richards did not get along very well. For some time after the sessions, Cooder accused Keith Richards of "ripping him off" musically, but now refuses to talk about his experiences with the Stones. Cooder played slide guitar for the 1970 film Performance, which contained Mick Jagger's first solo single, "Memo from Turner" on which Cooder played guitar.
Throughout the 1970s Cooder released a series of Warner Brothers albums that showcased his guitar work, to some degree. In this respect, Cooder's guitar work on these records is not unlike the guitar playing of Robbie Robertson on the Band's albums: Both virtuosos emphasized song over solo. Cooder's 1970s albums spotlight, more than anything, a wide-ranging taste in music. Cooder has been seen as almost a musicologist, exploring bygone musical genres with personalized and sensitive, updated reworkings of revered originals. Cooder's 1970s albums (with the exception of Jazz) cannot be neatly pigeonholed by genre, But - to generalise broadly - it might be fair to call Cooder's first album blues; Into the Purple Valley, Boomer's Story, and Paradise and Lunch, folk + blues; Chicken Skin Music and Showtime, a unique melange of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian; Jazz, 1920s jazz; Bop till You Drop 1950s R&B and blues; and Borderline an eclectic mix of Tex-Mex with blues, R&B, and country and Get Rhythm, with more rock-based excursions.
Cooder has worked as a studio musician and has also scored many film soundtracks, of which perhaps the best known is that for the 1984 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas. Ry Cooder based this soundtrack, and the haunting title song "Paris, Texas" on Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)", which he described as "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all music from the US." His other film work includes Walter Hill's The Long Riders (1980) and Southern Comfort (1981).
In recent years, Cooder has played a role in the increased appreciation of traditional Cuban music, due to his collaboration as producer in the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) recording, which was a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000. Cooder worked with Tuvan throat singers for the score to the 1993 film Geronimo: An American Legend.
Cooder's solo work has been an eclectic mix, taking in dust bowl folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and almost everything else. He has collaborated with many important musicians, including the Rolling Stones, Little Feat, the Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Gabby Pahinui, and Ali Farka Toure. He formed the Little Village supergroup with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.
Cooder's 1979 album Bop till You Drop was the first popular music album to be recorded digitally. It yielded his biggest hit, a disco/R&B cover of Elvis Presley's 1960s recording "Little Sister".
Blue Suede Shoes
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Three to get ready and it's go man go
You can do anything that you want to do
But uh-huh honey, lay off of my shoes
And don't you step on my shoes
Don't you step on my blue suede shoes
You can do anything that you want to do
But uh-uh honey stay off of my shoes
You can burn my house, steal my car
And drink my liquor out of my fruit jar
You can do anything that you want to do
But uh-uh honey stay off of my shoes
And don't you step on my shoes
Don't step on my blue suede shoes
You can do anything that you want to do
But uh-uh honey stay off of my shoes
And don't you step on my blue suede shoes
Well, it's down on beale street late one night
A woman got mad and started a fight
Split my chin and bust my nose
Tore out the back of my best suit of clothes
I said, "knock me down, step in my face
Slander my name all over the place
Do anything that you want to do
But uh-uh honey stay off of my shoes"
And don't you step on my shoes
Don't step on my blue suede shoes
You can do anything that you want to do
But uh-uh honey stay off of my shoes
And don't you step on my blue suede shoes
Ry Cooder's rendition of Blue Suede Shoes is a classic rock and roll song that was originally written by Carl Perkins. The song's lyrics are a cautionary tale about protecting one's material possessions, particularly the singer's prized blue suede shoes. The first verse sets the simple and straightforward tone of the song, with a countdown to encourage listeners to get up and dance. However, as the song progresses, the lyrics become more humorous and cautionary. The line "You can burn my house, steal my car and drink my liquor out of my fruit jar" is an example of the singer's material possessions, which are already under attack when his lover decides to step on his cherished shoes.
The climax of the song occurs in the final verse, which recounts a fight that breaks out between a man and a woman on Beale Street. The fight results in the man's clothes being torn, including his best suit. The singer tells his lover that they can do anything they want to do, including attacking him, but she must stay off his shoes. The song is generally interpreted as a warning against encroaching on personal property, particularly when it comes to fashion.
Overall, the song is a funny, upbeat, and fast-paced rock-and-roll hit that continues to garner popularity from generations of music lovers.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, it's one for the money, two for the show
The show is about to start but in the meantime, the performer needs to get paid before anything else happens.
Three to get ready and it's go man go
It's time to get ready to start the show and hit the road running.
You can do anything that you want to do
The performer is confident enough to say that he is able to do anything he wants to do.
But uh-huh honey, lay off of my shoes
The performer is asking the audience or anyone not to touch his shoes and stand away from it.
And don't you step on my shoes
He doesn't want anyone to step on his shoes because it's very precious.
Don't you step on my blue suede shoes
This is a reminder that the shoes being mentioned are special because of the suede material and blue color.
You can burn my house, steal my car
The performer is saying that anything can happen except his shoes being touched.
And drink my liquor out of my fruit jar
People can even drink and take his liquor as long as they don't touch his shoes.
Well, it's down on beale street late one night
This is recalling a night where the performer was in Beale Street late and something happened to him.
A woman got mad and started a fight
The performer was in a situation where a woman got angry, and it resulted in a fight.
Split my chin and bust my nose
The fight got physical, and he got hit in the face which resulted in his chin being split and nose being busted.
Tore out the back of my best suit of clothes
In the process of fighting, the performer's best suit of clothes got damaged, especially the back part.
I said, "knock me down, step in my face
The performer is daring anyone to knock him down if they have the courage to do so.
Slander my name all over the place
The performer said that anyone can badmouth him anywhere, no problem.
Do anything that you want to do
Once again, he is confident enough to say that anyone can do whatever they want as long as they don't touch his shoes.
But uh-uh honey stay off of my shoes
The performer is gently reminding everyone not to touch his shoes again.
And don't you step on my shoes
This is a reminder once again that no one should step on his shoes.
Don't step on my blue suede shoes
Again, he is reminding everyone that these shoes are dear to him.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Carl Perkins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind