Elvis, Big Mama Thornton, Doja Cat, and the Long Legacy of “Hound Dog”
07/26/22 • 23 min
2 Listeners
Baz Luhrmann’s hit box office hit biopic Elvis has spurred new interest in the music of The King. Elvis Presley’s streaming subscribers has grown by two million listeners on Spotify since the film’s release according to ChartMetric, and if you’re hearing a lot more “Hound Dog” these days, it might be partially due to the success of Doja Cat’s hit song “Vegas,” which updates – and interpolates – the song for contemporary listeners.
Doja Cat’s version samples from the original 1953 “Hound Dog,” sung by Big Mama Thornton and written by acclaimed songwriter team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (whose credits also include Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” and Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”). The original is a sauntering blues song with a raunchy tale about a two timing man; Presley, who is frequently said to have stolen the song from Thorton, instead sings a tepid lyric about an actual dog, and radically changes the groove.
But in an interview with Rolling Stone, Stoller says Presley didn’t steal the song at all. Rather, he adapted one of many covers of the song, specifically the version performed by the Las Vegas lounge act Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. Their “Hound Dog” borrows its upbeat rhythm from a song responding to the original “Hound Dog,” titled “Bear Cat.” It’s a similar rhythm to the one we hear on the contemporary Doja Cat version, “Vegas,” which heavily features samples of Thornton’s original vocals: listening closely reveals a song that synthesizes a complicated music history by uniting the best parts of the many versions of “Hound Dog.”
Listen to the latest episode of Switched On Pop and uncover the long legacy of “Hound Dog.”
Songs Discussed
- Big Mama Thorton - Hound Dog
- Elvis - Hound Dog
- Doja Cat - Vegas
- Esther Phillips - Hound Dog
- Jack Turner - Hound Dog
- Rufus Thomas - Bear Cat
- Freddie Bell and the Bellboys
- T.L.C. - No Scrubs
- Sporty Thievz - No Pigeons
- W.C. Handy - St. Louis Blues
- Duke Ellington - Conga brava
- Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Didn’t It Rain
- Fats Domino - Mardi Gras in New Orleans
- Dave Bartholomew - Country Boy
- Little Richard - Slipping’ And Sliding’
- Jack Harlow - Dua Lipa
- Future - Puffin on Zootiez
- Hitkidd, Gorilla - F.N.F. (Let’s Go)
- Bad Bunny - Después de la Playa
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Baz Luhrmann’s hit box office hit biopic Elvis has spurred new interest in the music of The King. Elvis Presley’s streaming subscribers has grown by two million listeners on Spotify since the film’s release according to ChartMetric, and if you’re hearing a lot more “Hound Dog” these days, it might be partially due to the success of Doja Cat’s hit song “Vegas,” which updates – and interpolates – the song for contemporary listeners.
Doja Cat’s version samples from the original 1953 “Hound Dog,” sung by Big Mama Thornton and written by acclaimed songwriter team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (whose credits also include Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” and Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”). The original is a sauntering blues song with a raunchy tale about a two timing man; Presley, who is frequently said to have stolen the song from Thorton, instead sings a tepid lyric about an actual dog, and radically changes the groove.
But in an interview with Rolling Stone, Stoller says Presley didn’t steal the song at all. Rather, he adapted one of many covers of the song, specifically the version performed by the Las Vegas lounge act Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. Their “Hound Dog” borrows its upbeat rhythm from a song responding to the original “Hound Dog,” titled “Bear Cat.” It’s a similar rhythm to the one we hear on the contemporary Doja Cat version, “Vegas,” which heavily features samples of Thornton’s original vocals: listening closely reveals a song that synthesizes a complicated music history by uniting the best parts of the many versions of “Hound Dog.”
Listen to the latest episode of Switched On Pop and uncover the long legacy of “Hound Dog.”
Songs Discussed
- Big Mama Thorton - Hound Dog
- Elvis - Hound Dog
- Doja Cat - Vegas
- Esther Phillips - Hound Dog
- Jack Turner - Hound Dog
- Rufus Thomas - Bear Cat
- Freddie Bell and the Bellboys
- T.L.C. - No Scrubs
- Sporty Thievz - No Pigeons
- W.C. Handy - St. Louis Blues
- Duke Ellington - Conga brava
- Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Didn’t It Rain
- Fats Domino - Mardi Gras in New Orleans
- Dave Bartholomew - Country Boy
- Little Richard - Slipping’ And Sliding’
- Jack Harlow - Dua Lipa
- Future - Puffin on Zootiez
- Hitkidd, Gorilla - F.N.F. (Let’s Go)
- Bad Bunny - Después de la Playa
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Previous Episode
We Won’t Go Back: Pop Music and the Fight For Reproductive Rights (w MILCK and Ann Powers)
On June 24th 2022 the Supreme Court decided Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v Wade and asserting that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion.
The decision marked a seismic moment in politics and culture that has affected everyone’s lives, and the world of pop music is no exception. Musicians started responding immediately, from Cher to Olivia Rodrigo: on social media, at their shows, and in their music. Critic Ann Powers has been chronicling the reactions in a running list at NPR, and she joins in the second half of the episode to talk about the long history of artists speaking out—and singing—about reproductive rights.
One artist who wasted no time responding to the Dobbs decision is the singer and songwriter Connie Lim, aka MILCK. Her song “We Won’t Go Back,” composed with Biianco, Autumn Rowe, and Ani DeFranco, came about after Politico published an article in May with the leaked draft of the Dobbs decision, telling the world in no uncertain terms that the Supreme Court was considering striking down Roe. MILCK found herself protesting in D.C., this time with her camera ready. The chants she heard there became the first sonic element of “We Won’t Go Back.”
Songs Discussed
MILCK, Biianco, Autumn Rowe, Ani DeFranco - We Won’t Go Back
MILCK - Quiet
Ani DeFranco - Play God
Poison Girls - Mandy Is Having a Baby
Cyndi Lauper - Sally’s Pigeons
Leslie Gore - You Don’t Own Me
Robyn - Giving You Back
Joni Mitchell - Little Green
L7 - Pretend We’re Dead
Everlast - What It’s Like
Madonna - Papa Don’t Preach
Lauryn Hill - To Zion
Megan Thee Stallion - Plan B
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Next Episode
"It's About Damn Time" for Another Lizzo #1
In the middle of a long, hot summer 2022, the people have spoken, and the people want to dance. Lizzo's "About Damn Time" just replaced Harry Styles's "As It Was" to become the top song on the Billboard Hot 100. Powered by retro instrumentation, a propulsive groove, meme-worthy lyrics, and a generous dose of slash chords (not the Guns 'n Roses guitarist, the harmonic voicing), Lizzo's hit song marks a deepening of the sound she established in past tracks like "Juice." But on other tracks from her latest album Special, Lizzo aims for new aesthetics. "Coldplay"—featuring a rare Chris Martin vocal sample—opts for emotional honestly over pithy affirmations. With the upbeat "Grrrls," Lizzo found herself in an online controversy: she had used a ableist slur in the song's lyrics. Taking the criticism as an opportunity to learn, Lizzo chose to replace the offensive line—but have other artists of pop's past always followed suit when met with fan feedback?
Songs Discussed
Lizzo - About Damn Time, Juice, Coldplay, Grrrls
Daft Punk, Pharrel Williams - Lose Yourself to Dance
Michael Jackson - Rock With You, They Don’t Care About Us
Quelle Chris, Chris Keys - Sudden Death
Coldplay - Yellow
Beastie Boys - Girls, Sure Shot
Taylor Swift - Picture to Burn
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Orville Peck - Born This Way
Ella Fitzgerald - How Long Has This Been Going On
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