🦞 About the Song
“Crawfish” is one of the coolest, strangest things Elvis ever recorded — a slow, swampy duet that drips with New Orleans atmosphere.
It opened King Creole, his last truly great pre-Army film, and set the tone for the whole movie: gritty, humid, a little dangerous.
Elvis trades lines with jazz singer Kitty White, her silky voice gliding above his low bluesy growl. It’s not rock ’n’ roll, not quite R&B — it’s something murkier and more hypnotic.
On ukulele, it becomes a minimalist gem — stripped of the horns and bass, you’re left with rhythm, space, and swagger. It’s Elvis in your kitchen at midnight, barefoot and smiling, with a wink that says “don’t tell nobody.”
🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips
We’ll play it in A minor, which captures that smoky, bluesy energy and gives you those rich open voicings.
You’ll need Am, Dm, and E7 — the holy trinity of swamp grooves.
Chord groove:
[Am] [Am] [Dm] [Am]
[E7] [Dm] [Am] [E7]
That’s your 12-bar loop — the heartbeat of the bayou.
Keep tempo slow, around 70 bpm.
Strumming pattern: down–chuck–down–chuck — short, muted, and rhythmic.
Lay the heel of your palm gently on the strings to dampen the sound — think of it like a sly wink every two beats.
If you’ve got a low-G uke, walk a bassline between chords for a creepier feel: open G → A → C → D → E.
For singing, you can treat it as a duet — one low, lazy voice for the Elvis lines, one soft and playful for the “Crawfish!” call-and-response bits.
Or sing it all yourself with a grin and a touch of blues drawl.
Optional flair: Add a slow descending run after the chorus:
A → G → F → E (on one string) to mimic that muddy slide guitar vibe.
💡 Trivia You Can Drop Casually
- The song was written by Fred Wise and Ben Weisman specifically for the King Creole soundtrack.
- It was recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood with a real New Orleans-style rhythm section.
- The call-and-response vocals were a nod to early field hollers and Creole street music.
- For decades, it was one of Elvis’s least-known masterpieces — until modern critics started naming it among his best soundtrack songs.
- Jazz singer Kitty White also appeared on records by Henry Mancini and Nelson Riddle — her smooth counter-vocals make the track shimmer.
🌈 Final Word
“Crawfish” is all about mood.
It’s slow, sultry, and strangely cinematic — and on ukulele, it becomes something beautifully intimate.
It’s not a song to rush; it’s a song to smoulder.
Play it in a dimly lit room, let the strings buzz a little, and savour the space between the notes.
It’s Elvis at his most mysterious — and you, my friend, are his accomplice.
