Happy Anniversary: Kevin Ayers, “Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes”

44 years ago today, Kevin Ayers, one of the founding members of the legendary psychedelic band known as Soft Machine, released the debut single from his third solo album, Whatevershebringswesing, which has since gone on to be described by many as the best full-length effort in his back catalog.

Written by Ayers, who co-produced the song with Andrew King, “Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes” could actually pass for a Flight of the Conchords track, and we mean that in the best possible way, because we love Flight of the Conchords: not only does it blend pop, psychedelia, and rockabilly, but it's kind of amazing just how much Ayers sounds like Jemaine Clement. (Your mileage may vary on that front, but we find the similarity rather astounding.)

It's also worthy of note that the song features harmony vocals from Ayers' fellow Soft Machine alumnus Robert Wyatt as well as guitar work from Mike Oldfield. Yes, that Mike Oldfield. Despite these top-notch musicians being in the mix, Ayers would re-record the song a few times over the course of the '70s, but whether he ever managed to produce the perfect version or not, “Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes” still remained a staple of his live sets for the duration of his career.