Big Mama Thornton sings ’Hound Dog’ from her 1969 Mercury album ’Stronger Than Dirt’. Her earlier 1953 Peacock Records version was a no. one R&B hit made even more famous by the later Elvis Presley version. The lyrics are below with comments about the song.
[Vinyl/12-Images/WAV]
Hound Dog (Singer: Big Mama Thornton)
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog
With snoopin’ ’round my door
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog
With snoopin’ ’round my door
You can wear your tails
But I ain’t gonna be for you no more
Told me you were high-class
But I can see through that
Yeah, you told me you were high-class
But I can see through that
And, baby, I know you ain’t no real cool cat
You ain’t nothin’ but an ole hound dog
With snoopin’ ’round my door
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog
With snoopin’ ’round my door
You can wear your tails
But I ain’t gonna be for you no more
Oh, say it now
Oh, shake it but don’t break
Oh, do the best now
Oh, it makes me feel so nice
Oh, get it, get it, get it, get it, get it, get it
You ole hound dog
You made feel so new
You made me weep and moan
You made feel so new
You made me weep and moan
You ain’t lookin’ for a woman
All you lookin’ is for a home
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog
With snoopin’ ’round my door
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog
With snoopin’ ’round my door
You can wear your tails
But I ain’t gonna be for you no more
And bow-wow to you too
Songwriters: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
[Lyrics transcribed from song audio]
Wikipedia states:
“Hound Dog“ is a twelve-bar blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Recorded originally by Willie Mae “Big Mama“ Thornton on August 13, 1952, in Los Angeles and released by Peacock Records in late February 1953, “Hound Dog“ was Thornton’s only hit record, selling over 500,000 copies, spending 14 weeks in the R&B charts, including seven weeks at number one. Thornton’s recording of “Hound Dog“ is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll“, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in February 2013.
“Hound Dog“ has been recorded more than 250 times. The best-known version is the July 1956 recording by Elvis Presley, which is ranked number 19 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time; it is also one of the best-selling singles of all time. Presley’s version, which sold about 10 million copies globally, was his best-selling song and “an emblem of the rock ’n’ roll revolution“. It was simultaneously number one on the US pop, country, and R&B charts in 1956, and it topped the pop chart for 11 weeks - a record that stood for 36 years. Presley’s 1956 RCA recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1988, and it is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll“.