These Boots

Undeniable, unfadeable and unbelievable

Mrs. Miller - These Boots Were Made For Walkin

Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Were Made For Walkin

I continue my covers series today with one of my favorites. To say Mrs. Miller made this song her own would be an understatement. But, this cover is among my favorites not because of musical merit or a unique artistic interpretation; it’s a cover that’s guaranteed to bring a wide, toothy smile to ol’ King Koopa’s mug, that's why. The Bible says to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, and it’s Mrs. Miller’s complete obedience to that axiom that makes this song so dad-gum enjoyable. (Speaking of “dad”, I bogarted this Mrs. Miller album from my dad until a couple years ago when he went through my records and stole it back.) Oblivious to the concept of irony, Mrs. Miller belts out this tune with a sincerity that erases all doubt that her boots are indeed made for walking. Think Mrs. Miller would stick around while Mr. Miller was playin around behind her back? Fat chance.

Here’s part of the bio from her unofficial website:

The eventual question was always- "Is Mrs. Miller in on the joke?" After all, this was a joke wasn’t it? The answer was illusive, intangible in an Andy Kaufman sort of way. Elva later revealed, "I don’t sing off-key and I don’t sing off-rhythm. They got me to do so by waiting until I was tired and then making the record. Or they would cut the record before I could become familiar with the songs. At first I didn’t understand what was going on. But later I did, and I resented it." Capitol told her that it was an "experiment" and Elva played innocent. Eventually she began to truly embrace the "so bad, its good" gag. A remarkable aspect of Mrs. Miller’s music, was her famous "ice-whistling" technique. She would hold a piece of ice in her mouth for 20 minutes before performing, in order to achieve a "good tight pucker" for her legendary whistle solos.

But the appeal of Mrs. Miller goes beyond a mere novelty act. Although she was aware of the joke, she was also still the genuine article. It was her honesty and sincerity that attracted her most devote fans, many which admit that they were drawn to Mrs. Miller because they found someone that they could relate to. Skip Heller author of the biographical article "Plan 9 from Claremont" explains, "As does the work of Plan 9 director Ed Wood Jr., Mrs. Miller gives us something in which there is so much human charm that we are disarmed by it. We laugh at first, because the ineptitude is so striking- but the enthusiasm, heart, and above all, frailty, touches the heart. Ed Wood and Elva Miller make us happy, and in ways that neither could ever have foreseen."

Have you ever heard a musician compared to Ed Wood? Neither have I, check out the song.