By Mitch Rice
The most famous casino-themed songs, from Elvis Presley to Lady Gaga
Casinos have inspired some of the best art and entertainment in our society. And no, I’m not just talking about the Dogs Playing Poker painting, though we can all agree that it is pretty great. Besides that painting, there are a number of iconic films and songs written about casinos or inspired by them like https://freechipnodeposit.com/.
Songs about casinos or inspired by gambling have been popular for decades. They’ve been recorded by some of the biggest artists in the business – everyone from Elvis to Lady Gaga. These songs just might inspire you to head out to the casino and play a few hands yourself. Even if you can’t get out to the casino, you can play actual live casino games while you listen to some of these classic hits.
Viva Las Vegas, Elvis Presley (1964)
Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas is the iconic casino song. It describes the excitement of being in Vegas in the 1960s and the thrill of risking it all on a big bet. Of course, since it’s Elvis, the song also mentions all the lovely ladies of Las Vegas. Listen for the under-appreciated ‘rock’n’roll bongos’ that are the featured percussion in the song!
Viva Las Vegas isn’t just a great song inspired by casinos, it’s also a very fun movie. A bit surprisingly, judging by the title song, most of the movie is about a Grand Prix race, not about gambling. Elvis stars as a race car driver who needs to win enough money to get a new engine for his car. What better place to attempt to win big than Vegas?
The Gambler, Kenny Rogers (1978)
The Gambler features one of the most quoted lines of any casino-themed song – “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, and know when to run”. It’s a song that tells the story of an older gambler giving life advice to a young man he encounters on a train.
The video for The Gambler features Kenny Rogers as a Wild West card shark. After taking off his jacket and revolver, he wanders through a saloon casino and settles in at a poker table. All of the classic Western imagery is present, from the six shooter and whiskey to the string tie and Cahill hat. It’s nice to see a different era of casino represented, as the song’s message is timeless.
Ace of Spades, Motörhead (1980)
Ace of Spades is a high-octane anthem to gambling and living fast, no matter what the consequences might be. It embraces the energy of taking big risks for the sake of it and not caring whether or not the bet pays off. Motörhead’s lead singer Lemmy perfectly conveys the wild mood of a gambler at the end of an intense night.
Many songs inspired by casinos only vaguely mention anything to do with the card games themselves. Ace of Spades actually uses some casino terminology. The song talks about upping the ante, doubling one’s stake, and rolling snake eyes. Of course, this is a combination of dice and card game terms but it does show that the band probably enjoyed spending some time at the casino when they could.
The Angel and the Gambler, Iron Maiden (1998)
Casinos don’t just inspire country singers and rock stars. Iron Maiden is one of the biggest metal bands in the world – so big in fact that their songs have even been covered by an orchestra! Their 1998 album Virtual XI includes the song The Angel and the Gambler. The song is from the perspective of the angel, asking the gambler to reevaluate his life.
The full song is over nine minutes long, while the radio version was cut down to around four minutes. The video’s CGI was innovative for the late 90s and features the band in space playing poker against Eddie, their zombie-mummy-cyborg mascot.
Poker Face, Lady Gaga (2008)
Lady Gaga’s Poker Face was one of the songs that launched her to superstardom. It was one of the singles on The Fame (2008) and The Fame Monster (2009). The song uses poker as a metaphor for a relationship. There are also references to other casino games like roulette.
The song uses clever wordplay and puns to get its point across. For example, the song opens with the line “I wanna hold ‘em like they do in Texas, please”, a reference to both the poker variant and what she wants to do with the object of her affection. It is a pop masterpiece that, just like Viva Las Vegas, will continue to be popular for decades to come.
