as you may have heard rumour, i am an elvis fan. i'm an elvis fan of mammoth proportions, tattooed and all, and wedded to my husband on the hallowed grounds of graceland itself. yet, oddly enough, i don't tend to write about the king much here on my blog. the main reason for this is that elvis' image is extraordinarily protected. as quickly as i might post a video or photo of the legend himself, the powers that be will snatch them away. i've already twice replaced the video i posted on the first day of spring.
so this morning i have decided to post a couple of peripheral elvis references for video vendredi...
the first is what i believe to be one of very few examples of an original recording that is actually far superior to the later elvis version: Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton's Hound Dog. the song was written specifically for Willie Mae by Leiber & Stoller, and as you can hear, the original lyrics make far more sense than the tweaked version that E did. don't get me wrong, i think elvis is one of the most sublimely talented human beings ever to have lived, but this song was meant for Big Mama, and man does she do it so much more justice.
now let me draw your attention to a funny little story about lyrics. below is a recording of Big Joe Turner singing Shake, Rattle n Roll. in his version of the song, the lyrics are dripping with sexual inuendos, most of which had been sanitized by the time the song got through Bill Haley & the Comets and on to Elvis. but what cracks me up is that the censors somehow overlooked a particular verse which remains in all versions:
"i'm like a one-eyed cat, peepin' in a seafood store
i'm gonna look at you 'til you ain't no child no more"
ha HAAAAA! that's some filthy stuff! love it. too funny.
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