I am very EXCITED to announce that I have TWO shows booked for early next year!😁The shows are at a venue I haven’t performed at before, and I am very much looking forward to these shows! 🧡

Here are the details:

Sunday, January 22, 2023
Wisconsin Brewing Company
1079 American Way
Verona, WI 53593
1pm to 4pm

Sunday, March 12, 2023
Wisconsin Brewing Company
1079 American Way
Verona, WI 53593
1pm to 4pm

In last week’s post, I wrote about how exciting it was to see Rammstein perform live again. 🧡🔥 

During my middle-of-the-night trip back to Madison from the Chicago concert over Labor Day weekend, I passed the time by talking with the people I was with about various topics. One of them happened to be the song “Hound Dog.” My friend educated me that the song “Hound Dog” was not originally released by Elvis. 😯

I had written about Elvis in a past post and mentioned that “Hound Dog” was one of my favorite songs.

Lyrics:

You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog
Cryin’ all the time
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
Well, they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Yeah, they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Yeah, you ain’t never caught a rabbit
And you ain’t no friend of mine
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog
Cryin’ all the time
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
Well, they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Yeah, they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit
And you ain’t no friend of mine
Well, they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Ya know they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit
And you ain’t no friend of mine
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog
Cryin’ all the time
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog
Cryin’ all the time
Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit
You ain’t no friend of mine
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog

How do you like Elvis’ version?

Who did the song before Elvis? Thanks to an article by the Washington Post, I learned the answer.

“Big Mama” Thornton originally released the song.

Lyrics:

You ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin’ ’round the door
You ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin’ ’round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain’t gonna feed you no more

You told me you was high-class
But I could see through that
Yes, you told me you was high-class
But I could see through that
And daddy, I know
You ain’t no real cool cat

You ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin’ ’round the door
You’re just an old hound dog
Been snoopin’ ’round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain’t gonna feed you no more, oh play that thing boy!

Aw, listen to that there old hound dog
Oh, play it, it s’all right in here
Oh, listen to that there old hound dog holler
Oh, play it boy, play it
Oh, you make me feel good
Oh, do the mess around right now, yeah
Now wag your tail
Oh, get it
Oh, get it now, get it, get it, get it
Oh, go, holler boy

You made me feel so blue
You made me weep and moan
You made me feel so blue
Well you made me weep and moan
‘Cause you ain’t looking for a woman
All you lookin’ is for a home

You ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Quit snoopin’ ’round my door
You ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Quit snoopin’ ’round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain’t gonna feed you no more, oh!

What do you think of the original version of “Hound Dog?”

When I first heard it, I got goosebumps. I was in awe by how much attitude, power, confidence, and passion is in her delivery of each lyric of the song! 💜

WOW! How had I NEVER heard the original version before?

The article says that although Thornton’s version was successful, Elvis’ version was the most successful. Elvis had the advantage of having “access to larger, mainstream markets.”

In the article, I enjoyed learning that “Thornton had an aggressive power when performing while staying true to the emotions of a song.” Although I haven’t seen any clips of her performing, you can hear this in the video above.

I was surprised to learn that “Elvis’s cool stage presence, which captivated audiences, can be traced to Thornton’s influence.” Prior to this, I had never known that he had modeled his performance style after someone else.

What do you think of the difference between Elvis and Thornton’s vocal delivery of “Hound Dog”?

The article pointed out that Thornton growls in the song to “[emphasize] the frustration” she feels around her two-timing boyfriend.

Instead of “Hound Dog” being about a two-timing boyfriend, Elvis’ version is about a dog.

What do you think about the difference in lyrics between the two songs?

Which version of “Hound Dog” do you like better?

I love learning new things, and I am grateful that my friend educated me that Elvis did not release the original version of the song.

I am blown away by how talented “Big Mama” Thornton was. I look forward to listening to more of her music. 💙

Wishing you well! 💚