Keep Them Cold Icy Fingers/Blue Suede Shoes connection?

[MikeFromHolland]

In another thread (Why do People Rave On Elvis) I pointed to another forum (about folk music so it seems). On that forum I found an interesting thread about the song "Keep Them Cold Icy Fingers Off Of Me" which Elvis may have sung on a Humes Highschool performance. The link to this thread - for those interested: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=3141#2938404

Interesting is the connection with "Blue Suede Shoes" that was written later by Carl Perkins as we know.

A poster called "song detective" writes the following in his post (a bit shortened here):

"This is the song Elvis Presley sang at his high school talent show, which he won.
I haven't heard it, but from the lyrics, it certainly has a chilling similarity to "Blue Suede Shoes"! Kind of shocking, at first. "You can do {this}, you can do {that}
BUT
Keep them cold, cold icy fingers offa me".

The famous "Shoes":

"You can knock me down, step on my face, slander my name all over the place
BUT Don't You Step on My Blue Suede Shoes,
You can do anything that you wanna do, but uh, huh, honey, lay offa them shoes!"

(..)

Johnny Cash has claimed the credit for introducing Perkins to the idea of a song about "Blue Suede Shoes" and Perkins says he saw a boy in the audience say "lay off of the suedes" just coincidentally the same night. {I thought they turn the lights low when performers are performing . . . Perkins says he even saw a scuff mark}. At first, both Cash and Perkins seem to agree that Perkins said "why would I want to sing about shoes instead of a pretty girl." Then, Perkins says, this event in the audience made up his mind.

Several different dates have been given for the composing of "Blue Suede Shoes." And Perkins can be seen stroking a pair of them during a very early film of all of them {including a very early Buddy Holly}, on a date BEFORE Perkins says he wrote the song - or rather, either of the dates. Another date has been discounted.
Not saying anything odd happened here: Elvis did do very creative things with existing material, but I'm not saying that: just food for thought. Clearly Perkins made an actual "SONG" of it, without a doubt: I just wonder where it came from, really, and why Perkins himself said he didn't see why anyone would want to sing about shoes!

Good thing for him that he decided it was a good idea. Whoever had the idea: Cash says he had the idea first, and we know that the lyrical content is similar to songs Presley knew, and that he could have been fussing with back stage {he was the last to go on}, and that Perkins wrote it up "on a paper sack," he said - though, during these tours, they had to hit the road immediately after their set. He has said he wrote it backstage on this paper sack, on other times, he said he wrote it in bed that night.

All of this is very confusing, considering that Perkins sang in '94, telling an apocryphal account of Elvis NOT wanting to record Carl's song at all, so Carl could thank the long dead performer. He said the following: "King," he said, pointing toward the Heavens, "here's OUR SONG." Ostensibly, he meant that it is very associated with Elvis. But it was a strange thing to say, especially since Carl was ill and didn't have long to live.
As I said, I am just thinking aloud.
Be interested in anyone's take on it."

On the thread different responses follow.
Now, I am interested in your take on it - from an Elvis collector's perspective.


Don't know where they got it from, I've never seen them before, but here are the lyrics:
Bill Johnson was a feller, that believed in Haints and Sights
He used to dream about 'em, when he went to bed at night
And when he'd dream about 'em, you could nearly always tell
He'd just pull back the covers, he'd jump right out and yell.

Keep Them Cold (***) Icy Fingers Off Of Me
Keep Them Cold (***) Icy Fingers Off Of Me
I don't mind them naked bones
I can stand that hollow groan ...
But, Keep Them Cold (***) Icy Fingers Off Of Me.

One night as Bill was passin' a graveyard on the hill
Something dressed in white jumped out and made a grab at Bill
Bill says you may catch me, but I'll make you do your best
Before we start to travel, I'll make one last request.

Keep Them Cold (***) Icy Fingers Off Of Me
Keep Them Cold (***) Icy Fingers Off Of Me
You may run me out of breath
You may scare me half to death
But, Keep Them Cold (***) Icy Fingers Off Of Me.

Bill went to see the doctor, had a misery in his chest
The doctor looked at him and said take off your coat and vest
He started tappin' on his ribs, which give Bill such a shock
That he just grabbed the doctor's hand and he says now look out doc.

Keep Them Cold (***) Icy Fingers Off Of Me
Keep Them Cold (***) Icy Fingers Off Of Me
You can cure my aches and ills
With your powders and your pills
But, Keep Them Cold (***) Icy Fingers Off Of Me.

..

[G.I. Blues]

Like it! Groovy Sound!

[George Smith]

Thanks for posting: it's a cute song but I honestly believe the connection to be slight at best.

I'd love to have heard the Elvis' take though.

[MikeFromHolland]

Thanks for posting: it's a cute song but I honestly believe the connection to be slight at best.

I'd love to have heard the Elvis' take though.

I agree, it's far fetched. But I like a fresh look at things.

Hell, yeah: in Music World (1981) they wrote that it is recorded. Ekenee wrote about it on FECC in 2008. Here's the thread

http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34581