It takes guts to cover an Elvis Presley song and think you can one-up The King, but that’s exactly what Roy Orbison did when he covered “Mean Woman Blues,” which Elvis took to #11 in 1957 in the soundtrack for his film Loving You.
Orbison’s 1963 cover version doesn’t just one-up the original, it stomps all over it.
There are delights at every turn, from the sly Ray Charles hat-tip introduction to the “Wipeout” cover-within-a-cover, that ferocious guitar solo to the delightful “Sha-la-la” backing vocals, Roy’s unearthly falsetto, and of course: that purr. And those final twenty seconds… play it loud!
Unsurprisingly, Orbison’s version outperformed Presley’s on the charts as well, peaking all the way at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Mean Woman Blues” is one of Roy’s hardest-rocking singles, a song that sounds like it’s as fun to perform as it is to hear. It sure looked that way, at least, on September 30, 1987, when Orbison assembled an all-star backing band for his Black and White Night concert event. “Mean Woman Blues” was on the set list that night, and Bruce Springsteen was in the backing band.
Bruce shared vocals and took a prominent role in a few songs during the show, but for “Mean Woman Blues” he stayed in the background on rhythm guitar. Watch him closely, because it’s a joy to do so: I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Bruce happier on stage than he looked that night.
That was a one-time-only performance of “Mean Woman Blues,” but it was only one of a set list full of classics they played that night. Check out more Black and White Night performances here.
Mean Woman Blues
First performed: September 30, 1987 (Los Angeles, CA)
Last performed: September 30, 1987 (Los Angeles, CA)
“Mean Woman Blues”, Elvis ’57 vs. Roy ’63–“Orbison’s 1963 cover version doesn’t just one-up the original, it stomps all over it.” Ken, gotta disagree on this one. Elvis’s version (via the Loving You clip) exudes a frustrated and unreleased sexuality. (Man, can that boy dance!) To me, the ’57 Elvis sounds meaner and band dirtier. (“Meanest gal, I ever had–Never happy unless she’s mad!”)
Agreed, that “Bruce looks happy on stage” (paraphrase) during the 9.30.87 shoot, but he’s not just playing off Roy, but also, the great James Burton (What a fabulous succinct, lyrical lead he plays!), Ronnie Tutt (drums, on the “Octo-plus”) and Jerry Scheff (stand-up bass)–all from Elvis’s Band (1969-77).
Favoring the The King’s version clearly could be a personal bias. Thanks for the MATR and the chance to share,.
Massive Elvis fan from Australia, I’ve even travelled to Graceland. But while Elvis’s version is great, Roy’s just absolutely rocks! One of the finest rock songs in my opinion. FYI I also love Mcartney’s version of Long Tall Sally! Play em both up loud, then add in Guitar man by Elvis at full sound and you can’t go wrong!