This composition in different styles and even in several languages was recorded by more than two hundred and fifty performers, and for some of them it turned out to be an important milestone in their creative career.
Hound Dog became a major hit already in the first version, which was performed by “Big Mama” Thornton, and the most famous version of the song was sung by the unforgettable Elvis Presley. It was his version that entered the top twenty of the list of the five hundred greatest tracks of all time according to Rolling Stone readers.
The history of creation and the meaning of the song Hound Dog
In August 1952, musician and producer Johnny Otis invited young songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller to his place. He wanted to introduce them to blues singer Willie Mae Thornton, known as “Big Mama”. By that time, she had released two failed singles. Otis thought that aspiring songwriters could help her succeed by writing a song that fit her personality.
Jerry Leiber has repeatedly told how they composed the song, and shared his memories of meeting and collaborating with Big Mom:
We saw “Big Mama” and I broke out in a cold sweat. She seemed to be the biggest, most spoiled and raunchiest chick you’ll ever meet. And she was unpleasant, then they were called “bear woman.” She must have been 350 pounds, and she had scars all over her face. I had to write a song for her that basically said, “Wouldn’t you go to…” But how do you do that without actually saying anything like that? And how do you do that by telling a story? I couldn’t just create a song entirely out of swearing.
Rolling Stone 1990
I was trying to find something similar to Ferry Lewis’s “Dirty Mother Furya” line. I was looking for something close to this, but I couldn’t find it, because everything that came to my mind was too rude, and there was no way it could be put on the air.
Insidetracks 1999
And now a word to Stoller:
She was an amazing blues singer, with a great compassionate style. But writing Hound Dog was equally influenced by her blues style, her looks, and our idea that she should growl it.
Rolling Stone 1990
As a result, they agreed on the expression “hound dog” (“hunting dog”, “borzoi”). Nim was slang for men looking for cohabitants who were ready to support them. Accordingly, Thornton sang from the perspective of a woman who is getting rid of the gigolo that was sitting around her neck.
Although the writers initially had to rack their brains over the main idea of the song, the lyrics, according to Leiber, they wrote very quickly:
Hound Dog took about twelve minutes. It’s not such an intricate job. But the rhyme structure was complex. And the metric system of music was not simple.
Rolling Stone 1990
In fact, we wrote ninety percent of Hound Dog along the way in the car. On the rooftop, I was tapping out an auto-rhythm we called the “duck dance.” We got to Johnny Otis’ house and Mike went straight to the piano without even sitting down. He had a cigarette in his mouth that burned his left eye, but he started to play the song.
We took the song to “Big Mama” and she snatched the paper from my hand and asked, “Is this my big hit?” I replied, “I hope so.” Then I remember that she began to sing Hound Dog in an undertone like Frank Sinatra would sing In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning. And I looked at her, and I was a little scared by the scars from the razor on her face, and the weight in her is 280-320 pounds, but I said: “It must not be so.” And she looked at me like looks could kill and said (that’s when I realized I was white), “Don’t teach me how to sing the blues, white boy.”
In the end, we dealt with her. Johnny brought Mike back to the room and asked him to sit at the piano, which was not easy, because Johnny had a woman playing the piano, reminiscent of the structure of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Finally, they switched places and performed the song the way it was supposed to sound. And that’s when we said: “This is a hit.” And I immediately thought: “This is a sign if we both said it!”
Rock’s Backpages, 2001
Release and achievements
In February 1953, Hound Dog was released as a single on the Peacock label. The song instantly soared to the top of the American charts and received rave reviews from music critics. Later, the composition was included in the Grammy Hall of Fame, the list of “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll” and other prestigious ratings.
First covers
In the very first months after the release of the original version of the composition, the first covers appeared. It hardly makes sense to list those performers, because for most Blimey readers, their names will not say anything.
But we can’t forget about the recording of Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. It was they who corrected the lyrics in such a way that the song was really about a hunting dog. The authors were dismayed by such changes, and Leiber generally said that there was no point left in the text. This version did not become a hit on a national scale, but the group was noticed, and she even got into the famous musical film Rock around the Clock.
However, the main achievement of this cover was the fact that it was he who pushed Elvis Presley to record his version.
Hound Dog of the “King of Rock and Roll”
Elvis, of course, knew about the existence of the song “Big Mama”, but the decision to sing the song came after he heard it performed by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys in Las Vegas. It was their text and arrangement that formed the basis of his version. Musicians who worked with Presley recalled that the song immediately hooked him. He returned several times to listen to her, and then offered to record the track.
In May 1956, Elvis performed the song for the first time at the Memphis Festival, and in July it was released on the back of the Don’t Be Cruel single. Soon the record was re-released with Hound Dog on the front side. Both versions of the single were wildly successful, and the song triumphantly climbed the top of various charts.
For more than ten years it has been an integral part of his concert performances. He sang it several times on popular TV shows including Milton Burley, Steve Allen (where he performed with a real hunting dog on stage) and Ed Sullivan. The appearance of Elvis on the TV screen caused a flurry of angry reviews from the guardians of morality. He was openly criticized even by senators and pop music stars such as Frank Sinatra. However, all such attacks seemed to only strengthen his incredible fame.
An interesting story is how Stoller found out about the success of the song performed by Presley. When Hound Dog was gaining momentum on the charts, he was on a voyage on the ocean liner Andrea Doria and was one of the last passengers because the ship sank while he was on board. More than fifty people died then, but he survived. At the port he was met by Leiber, from whom he learned of the incredible achievements of their composition. True, the authors did not like the version of Elvis. Mike thought it was “terribly jittery, too fast, too white”, and Jerry complained that the text in the new version had lost its meaning. But the millions in record sales, from which they were entitled to impressive deductions, helped them forget about such trifles.
It is not possible to list everyone who recorded Hound Dog after the release of Presley’s single. Let’s just say that among them were Little Richard, Jim Hendrix, John Lennon and Eric Clapton.
Rolling Stone magazine placed it at number 19 on their list of the five hundred greatest songs of all time. It is also featured in Q’s 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
Interesting Facts
- When Elvis’ version became an international hit, Freddie Bell tried to get more royalties through the courts. However, he lost the process, as he changed the lyrics of the song himself and recorded it without getting permission from Leiber and Stoller. There were also other lawsuits surrounding the song.
- In the movie Forrest Gump, the protagonist remembers how a young guitarist, who turned out to be Elvis, stayed at their house. Forrest danced to his performance of “Hound Dog”, prompting the future “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” to his famous moves on stage.
Hound Dog Lyrics
You ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin’ ’round the door
You ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin’ ’round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain’t gonna feed you no more
You told me you were high class
But I could see through that
Yes, you told me you were high class
But I could see through that
And daddy I know
You ain’t no real cool cat
You ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin’ ’round the door
You’re just an old hound dog
Been snoopin’ ’round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain’t gonna feed you no more
You made me feel so blue
You made me weep and moan
You made me feel so blue
Well you made me weep and moan
‘Cause you ain’t looking for a woman
All your lookin’ for is a home
You ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin’ ’round the door
You ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin’ ’round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain’t gonna feed you no more
Elvis Presley Lyrics
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog
Cryin’ all the time
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog
Cryin’ all the time
Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine
Well they said you were high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Yeah they said you were high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine
Elvis Presley Lyrics
You’re just a hunting dog
Who howls all the time
You’re just a hunting dog
Who howls all the time
Yes, you did not catch a single rabbit, and you are not my friend.
They say you were first class
But it’s just a lie
Yes, they say you were first class
But it’s just a lie
Yes, you did not catch a single rabbit, and you are not my friend.
Song Quotes
When I hear Hound Do”, I get a little sick, but in 1975 it might be some old classic.
Perry Como, The Saturday Evening Pose, 1960
And I listened to the record and was disappointed. She just sounded too nervous, too fast, too white. But, you know, when seven or eight million copies were sold, it started to sound better.
Mike Stoller on the Elvis song
