What’s the best story ever told in a song?

Blue Suede Shoes was inspired by a specific incident observed by songwriter, Carl Perkins, in October 1955. While playing a dance, Perkins witnessed a teenager scolding his date for scuffing his blue suede shoes, shouting, "Uh-uh, don't step on my suedes!". Perkins was struck by the boy's devotion to his shoes over his dancing partner.

Perkins found it absurd that someone would care more about footwear, than a girl, prompting him to write the song that night. He structured the lyrics around a familiar nursery rhyme, creating the famous opening: One for the money, Two for the show, Three to get ready, Now go, cat, go.
The rhyme is a popular children's counting rhyme that begins, "One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go"

Some accounts suggest that on a tour, Johnny Cash mentioned a story about an airman in Germany who referred to his military shoes as blue suede shoes, urging Perkins to write about them. Perkins recorded the song on December 19, 1955, at Sun Records. While a huge hit for Perkins, it became even more famous after Elvis Presley's 1956 cover version.

Carl Perkins appeared on The Perry Como Show on Saturday May 26th 1956 singing his big hit Blue Suede Shoes. This was just about 3-weeks or so after the song reached it's peak on the Billboard Pop Charts at number 2. Blue Suede Shoes did reach the number 1 position on the Country Charts as well as reaching the number 2 position on the R&B charts. Up until this time, no other song in the history of recorded music had ever reached such a high positon in all three charts.

It has been estimated that there are over 360 recorded cover versions, and it is widely cited as one of the most covered songs in rock and roll.
 
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