Elvis Songs: Big Boss Man

Written by: Al Smith, Luther Dixon

Recorded: September 10, 1967, RCA Studios, Nashville.

Single: w/ "You Don't Know Me", RCA 47-9341, September 1967
Also re-released as Gold Standard Series, 447-0662, 1970

Highest U.S. Charts Positions:
#38 on Billboard's Hot 100

1st LP release: Clambake - November 19, 1967

Although written by bassist Al Smith and record producer Luther Dixon, "Big Boss Man" truly belongs to Jimmy Reed. After a stint in the Navy, Jimmy settled in Gary, Indiana, and signed on with the new Vee-Jay record label, and soon became one of its best-selling artists. His 1961 recording of "Big Boss Man" established the rhythm riff that would not only define subsequent versions of this song, but would influence many other songs of the 60s. The song has become something of an workplace anthem, too, the lyrics speaking to everyone's fantasy of telling off the boss:

Big boss man, can't you hear me when I call
You ain't so big... You're just tall, that's all!

This was 20 years before Johnny Paycheck's country anthem "Take This Job and Shove It!", but it grants the same wish! If you've ever even slightly not liked your job, then you can relate!



On September 10, 1967, Elvis had just completed a successful version of a song by another Reed, Jerry Reed's "Guitar Man", with Jerry playing guitar. Both Elvis and producer Felton Jarvis wanted to keep up the momentum and record something else while they had Jerry's great guitar work to boost the sound (and the mood!). They decided on Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man" and before long, had a great master take preserved on tape. Felton said to Elvis, "You did it like you were mad, like you were mean!"




However, before they could come up with a third song, businessmen representing the Colonel tried to get Jerry to give up some of his songwriter's publishing rights to Elvis (and the Colonel) for the recording of "Guitar Man". Jerry, knowing he had the upper hand since the recording was already in the can, rightly refused. This ended the session, as far as Jerry Reed's involvement, but luckily they'd gotten two great songs recorded first.




Elvis' version of "Big Boss Man" is faster than Jimmy Reed's original, and pretty tough, considering the stuff Elvis had been recording around that time. On lines like "rest easy at night", he does sound downright mean, as Felton said. He was definitely biting into it! This was a far cry from some of the movie fluff he'd recorded just earlier that year, like "Old MacDonald"! NYAAAA! What was he thinking? (After writing this, I stumbled onto this interview with Ernst Jorgensen, who uses the same two songs as an example of the contrast in quality between Elvis songs of the same period. Aaahhh, great minds think alike!)





I think of this period of Elvis' recording career as a sort of "pre-comeback". From the "How Great Thou Art" / "Down In The Alley" sessions of 1966 through the "U.S. Male" / "Too Much Monkey Business" session of early 1968, Elvis was beginning to show some hints of what was to come.

In June of 1968, Elvis would include "Big Boss Man" in his comeback TV special, in a medley with "It Hurts Me" and with a kinda weird karate dance/fight scene!

Although it was never a regular in Elvis' 70s shows, he did sing "Big Boss Man" a few times in concert.

Oh, and another thing I always wondered: Was Elvis thinking of the Colonel when he sang this song? hmmmm...

This unusually varied group of songs was not recorded with any definite project in mind, but includes some of the most important songs Presley recorded for years. A good example is 'Big Boss Man'. This is given a superb performance by all concerned and the overwhelming impression is of a powerfully-driven song. The guitar-work, possibly by Jerry Reed, is outstanding, and there are imaginative touches from Charlie McCoy's harmonica.

Robert Matthew-Walker, Elvis Presley - A Study In Music, 1979

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Big boss man, can't you hear me when I call?
Big boss man, can't you hear me when I call?
Can't you hear me when I call?
Well you ain't so big, you know you're just tall that's all, All right
Well you got me workin' boss man
Workin' round the clock
I wanna little drink of water
But you won't let business stop
Big boss man now can't you hear me when I call? All right
I said you ain't so big, you know you're just tall that's all

Big boss man, why can't you hear me when I call? All right
You know you ain't so big, I said you're just tall that's all, All right
I'm gonna get me a boss man
One who's gonna treat me right
I work hard in the day time
Rest easy at night
Big boss man, can't you hear me when I call? Can't you hear me when I call?
I said you ain't so big, you're just tall that's all
I'm gonna get me a boss man
One that's gonna treat me right
I work hard in the evenin'
Rest easy at night
Big boss man, big boss man, can't you hear me when I call?
I said you ain't so big, you're just tall that's all