Mess O Blues Johnny Bravo Hot! -
When you think of Johnny Bravo, you think of biceps, sunglasses, and a string of failed pickup lines. But buried beneath the pompadour and the pelvis-swiveling bravado is something unexpected: a broken heart. And in "Mess o' Blues," Johnny trades his swagger for a slow-burning, back-porch lament.
: Unlike the later version, the protagonist in the short is an actual Elvis impersonator rather than just a man who sounds and looks like him.
The production of Mess O' Blues was marked by a legendary last-minute save:
: Just before the public screening for his grade, Partible accidentally destroyed the film’s soundtrack while editing. mess o blues johnny bravo
The short was originally conceived as a concept called "The Three Elbuys," featuring three young Elvis impersonators who fought crime. Due to time constraints and Partible being the sole animator, he narrowed the focus to a single character: an aging, over-the-hill rockstar who genuinely believes he is Elvis Presley.
Performed in the style of a classic 12-bar blues shuffle—think B.B. King meets Elvis in a roadside diner—the song finds Johnny alone, nursing his ego over a girl who finally shot him down for good. The lyrics are simple but effective: "I got a mess o' blues / walkin' in my shoes" — delivered not with his usual cartoonish yell, but with a low, gravelly croon that reveals genuine ache.
: The short focused on the character's obsessive vanity and his unsuccessful attempts to impress women, established the signature "shallow, boorish" traits that would define the series. When you think of Johnny Bravo, you think
Mess O' Blues has never been released to the public in its entirety, making it a subject of fascination for animation historians.
| | A7 | E7 | B7 (Turnaround) |
| | E7 | E7 | E7 | | (Fast pentatonic licks, lots of bending) : Unlike the later version, the protagonist in
| | E7 | | (Back to the root, chaotic trills)
E|---------------------------------| B|---------------------------------| G|---------------------------------| D|--2--2--4--2-----2--2--4--2------| A|--2--2--4--2-----2--2--4--2------| E|--0--0--0--0-----0--0--0--0------| *Chunk-a...* *Chunk-a...*
