Songs to Dance To: Hound Dog
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (79233)
United States
October 7, 2025 11:20am CST
Six different notifications telling me we have a flash flood warning in town? Yeah, I think I have enough weather apps. 
So no venturing out for me today, given that my submarine is in the shop. 
Let's stay home and dance to this one!
Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
See you tomorrow.
Actually, there's a funny piece of trivia for you. While "Hound Dog" is considered one of the shots heard 'round the world when it comes to starting rock and roll (and Elvis' career), this wasn't even the first version of the song on RCA Victor! Everyone knows that Big Mama Thornton did the original version in 1952. In 1953, Homer and Jethro, under the pseudonym "Jack Turner and His Granger County Gang," recorded a perfectly straight (well, except for Homer's howl at the end) country cover of the Thornton version. That was three years before Elvis!
Elvis ran into Homer and Jethro at the DJ convention in 1955 and told them what a big fan he was of theirs, saying, "Man, I hope I can be half as successful as as you are one day." Fast forward 70 years and you have to look "Homer and Jethro" up (they were Weird Al before Weird Al was born, I'll save you the trouble ), but you dang sure know who Elvis was. I'd say Presley got his wish.
One more Elvis/Homer and Jethro connection: while there were rumors that Elvis would attend Homer's funeral in August 1971 (Homer died of a heart attack ten days after his 51st birthday), he did send flowers. There was a lot of love there.
None of which you asked for, but you know how I am when I get off on a musical tangent. Ignore all of that and enjoy the King.
Hound Dog
Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Recorded by Elvis Presley
Released as a single, 1956
Song used last month: "She's Not You"
You ain't never caught a rabbit:
So no venturing out for me today, given that my submarine is in the shop. Let's stay home and dance to this one!
Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
See you tomorrow.
Actually, there's a funny piece of trivia for you. While "Hound Dog" is considered one of the shots heard 'round the world when it comes to starting rock and roll (and Elvis' career), this wasn't even the first version of the song on RCA Victor! Everyone knows that Big Mama Thornton did the original version in 1952. In 1953, Homer and Jethro, under the pseudonym "Jack Turner and His Granger County Gang," recorded a perfectly straight (well, except for Homer's howl at the end) country cover of the Thornton version. That was three years before Elvis!
Elvis ran into Homer and Jethro at the DJ convention in 1955 and told them what a big fan he was of theirs, saying, "Man, I hope I can be half as successful as as you are one day." Fast forward 70 years and you have to look "Homer and Jethro" up (they were Weird Al before Weird Al was born, I'll save you the trouble ), but you dang sure know who Elvis was. I'd say Presley got his wish.
One more Elvis/Homer and Jethro connection: while there were rumors that Elvis would attend Homer's funeral in August 1971 (Homer died of a heart attack ten days after his 51st birthday), he did send flowers. There was a lot of love there.
None of which you asked for, but you know how I am when I get off on a musical tangent. Ignore all of that and enjoy the King.
Hound Dog
Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Recorded by Elvis Presley
Released as a single, 1956
Song used last month: "She's Not You"
You ain't never caught a rabbit:Your browser isn’t supported anymore. Update it to get the best YouTube experience and our latest features. Learn moreRemind me later
8 people like this
10 responses
@FourWalls (79233)
• United States
10h
Oh, yeah, almost posted that one instead. She was a real trailblazer.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (79233)
• United States
8h
@rebelann — the ADD in me, you can’t get an answer without the entire history!
You’re very welcome. Glad you enjoyed hearing her.
You’re very welcome. Glad you enjoyed hearing her.1 person likes this
@FourWalls (79233)
• United States
8h
@AmbiePam — had a supervisor like that in the Navy…one morning at the morning briefing, she spent it all telling us about the Moody Blues concert the night before. 
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (79233)
• United States
10h
Glad you enjoyed the song. I think seeing Elvis would have been something. I'll tell you something funny: my 10th grade math teacher was crazy about him. She saw what turned out to be his last concert (in Indianapolis), and she took the entire period the next day to tell us about it! 
My kind of teacher.
My kind of teacher. 1 person likes this
@FourWalls (79233)
• United States
11h
I know that people today think he's easy listening (usually the same people who think Judas Priest are easy listening ), but you have to remember how absolutely new and untested this sound was in 1956.
Here's Big Mama's version:
), but you have to remember how absolutely new and untested this sound was in 1956.
Here's Big Mama's version:Your browser isn’t supported anymore. Update it to get the best YouTube experience and our latest features. Learn moreRemind me later
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (89597)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
7h
If I had had a hound dog me and him would have been howling along to Elvis,
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (202526)
• United States
7h
Not a big Elvis fan. My hubby wasn't either; and he was more in the Elvis era.
1 person likes this
@LooeyVille (70)
• United States
11h
Hubby is crazy about Elvis. I think he's meh. But I appreciate his talent. Kind of repetitive song though.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (79233)
• United States
10h
When he was on Ed Sullivan's show I think all he did was sing "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog" over and over. It was originally a blues song, and they're known for being repetitive.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (79233)
• United States
8h
Yes, me too. My mom had a number of his records when I was little, and they were quite a departure from the normal Jim Reeves and Buck Owens that I normally listened to.
1 person likes this
