His sound, voice, and echo draws me in and keeps me there. The slow intro and then music kicks in. His voice goes with that slapback echo better than any other singer. His influence can be heard through the decades including Springsteen in Glory Days.
This was released in 1956 from their debut album of the same name. Like many of the songs on the record, it only came in at around two and a half minutes long… but those two and a half recordings rocked. This gem was written by Gene Vincent and Hal Levy. The song peaked at #16 in the UK in 1956.
Vincent was injured in a car accident on April 16, 1960…with Eddie Cochran in a taxi which killed Cochran. Vincent whose leg was weak due to a wound incurred in combat in Korea…was injured. He walked with a noticeable limp for the rest of his life. In 1962 he was in Hamburg and played on the same bill as the Beatles. The Beatles got close to him.
George Harrison told a story about going with a drunk Vincent to his hotel room. Vincent thought his girlfriend was cheating on him so he shoved a gun in Harrison’s hand. George was shocked and didn’t want any part of that.
The Beatles played at least 14 of Gene Vincent’s songs in their sets before they made it. A song like Somewhere Over The Rainbow that the Beatles would never think of covering until Gene Vincent covered it and gave the song his ok.
Paul McCartney: “I remember hearing Blue Jean Bop on an album that I think John had; going to a place near Penny Lane for the afternoon, having a ciggy, and just listening to records. Blue Jean Bop was always one of my favorites. The first record I ever bought was Be Bop-A-Lula. We loved Gene.”
Bluejean Bop
Bluejean baby, with your big blue eyes
Don’t want you looking at other guys
Got to make you give me, one more chance
I can’t keep still, so baby let’s dance
Well the bluejean bop is the bop for me
It’s the bop that’s done in a dungaree
You flip your hip, free your knee
Squeal on your heel baby, one to three
Well the bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, baby won’t you bop with Gene (bop Blue Caps, bop)
Well bluejean baby when I bop with you
Well my heart starts hoppin’ like a kangaroo
My feet do things they never done before
Well bluejean baby, give me more more more
Well the bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, baby won’t you bop with Gene (rock again Blue Caps, go)
Well the bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, baby won’t you bop with Gene (Blue Caps, bop with Gene now, let’s go)
Well it’s, bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Bluejean, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean, bluejean bop
Bluejean, bluejean bop
Bluejean, oh baby, won’t you bop with Gene
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 
This song does rock out and I think it may have something to do with blue jeans.
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I’m guessing it didn’t win awards for lyric-writing…but it is quite catchy to be sure! One of the early rock pioneers you don’t hear much about, perhaps unfairly.
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Yes those fifties songs were not deep lyrically except…I would say Chuck Berry.
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Funny you should post this … i have a sort of related type post coming up on Once Upon a Time in The ’70s this week.
Me? Big fan of Gene Vincent. Love his records. 🙂
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I do love Gene Vincent…he was more popular in the UK than over here. He looked awful near the end but still sounded great.
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I got about half way through this and realized how much it sounded like Carl Perkins’s “Boppin’ The Blues”…
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I guess both tunes are bopping! 🙂
On a more serious note, like many blues songs, I find classic rock & roll tunes often tend to sound similar. Essentially, they share the same chord progression. Moreover, I guess there is a certain sound that’s quite common with many ’50s rock & roll songs, especially when they were recorded at the same studio. I realize that doesn’t appear to have been the case when it comes to these two particular tunes.
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Blues is like that, putting new words to an old tune…. Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley recorded at Chess Studios in Chicago, and when The Rolling Stones and (Peter Green’s) Fleetwood Mac recorded there, they got a similar sound. Likewise, Carl Perkins, early Elvis, early Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis all recorded at Sun (Johnny Cash, too) and you can hear the effect…
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I love the way they used echo
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Great song and groove. And what an awesome guitar sound!
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Thanks Christian! I love this old rock and roll.
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Agree, many of these tunes just sounded great and still do to this day, even though recording technology was fairly archaic – to some extent I guess because of it!
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That very early era is just about simple fun, a simple beat and dance your ass off- all the deeper meanings and artistic/artsy fartsy lyrics and prog/gressions came later but, then it was just the joy of being young. This one does simply that.
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That is it in a nutshell. Sometimes simple is what we need.
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Vintage stuff!
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Yes it is!
Bruce I’ll circle back on your two music posts. I haven’t had any peace to listen to them!
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Max – you’re one out of the bag (I hope that’s a universal saying!)
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Gene Vincent. Love Gallup’s guitar on this cut and all the others. Love all the pioneers. Him and Jerry Lee are go to listens for me.
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