Black Velvet (Alannah Myles) Unlisted

Black Velvet" is a song written by Canadian songwriters Christopher Ward and David Tyson and performed by Canadian singer-songwriter Alannah Myles. It was released in July 1989 as the second single from Myles' first studio album, Alannah Myles (1989), by Atlantic Records. It became a number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, as well as number 10 in Myles' native Canada and number two on the UK Singles Chart.

The song is a paean to Elvis Presley. His voice was distinctive for the time and could be described as "black velvet". Co-writer Christopher Ward, who was Myles' then-boyfriend, was inspired on a bus full of Elvis fans riding to Memphis attending the 10th anniversary vigil at Graceland, in 1987. Upon his return to Canada, he brought his idea to Myles and producer David Tyson, who wrote the chords for the bridge. The song was one of three in a demo Myles presented to Atlantic Records, which eventually got her signed to the label.