Big Mama Thornton - Hound Dog
Now, I’m all for giving credit where credit is due, and when Elvis, who is a legend in his own right, covered this song, he certainly put his own spin on it, making it a jitterbug-worthy jam.
But sometimes, not even The King can out-do a queen.
So maybe Big Mama might not have induced knock-kneed fainting and shrieking from delirious, repressed, suburban teens (although you can bet her hips gyrating would have given the Wards and Junes even more to caterwaul about!), but she owns this song.
Presley’s reworking of the lyrics makes the tune about a pooch who’s lazy and ineffective at worst: “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.”
But it’s Thornton’s original that lets us know what a real hound dog is:
“You made me feel so blue,
Well, you made me weep and moan.
‘Cause you ain’t looking for a woman,
All you’re lookin’ is for a home.
…
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog,
Been snoopin’ ‘round my door,
You can wag your tail,
But I ain’t gonna feed you no more.”I know nobody likes a long audio post, but this one deserves a listen. Because after all, who needs sex, drugs and Rock & Roll, when you’ve got lust, booze and The Blues?
Source: acv
