Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Elvis with the greatest rock and roll song of all time, 'Hound Dog' 1956.
Elvis recorded “Hound Dog” in 1956. But he wasn’t covering the Big Mama Thornton song. These were two different tunes with the same title — the only thing they had in common was the opening line, “You ain’t nothing but a hound dog.” The lyrics, chords, rhythm, structure are totally different. That’s because Elvis was covering the Vegas lounge act Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. They wrote their own “Hound Dog,” which Elvis heard when they opened for him on the Strip.
The most famous hook — “You ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine” — doesn’t even appear in any versions before Bell. Lieber and Stoller never wrote that line — and they hated it. Lyricist Lieber spent the rest of his life complaining about the new words, especially the “You ain’t never caught a rabbit” part. Elvis's version added new twists like the massive drumroll into the chorus, part of the song’s legacy ever since.
Elvis with the greatest rock and roll song of all time, 'Hound Dog' 1956.
Elvis recorded “Hound Dog” in 1956. But he wasn’t covering the Big Mama Thornton song. These were two different tunes with the same title — the only thing they had in common was the opening line, “You ain’t nothing but a hound dog.” The lyrics, chords, rhythm, structure are totally different. That’s because Elvis was covering the Vegas lounge act Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. They wrote their own “Hound Dog,” which Elvis heard when they opened for him on the Strip.
The most famous hook — “You ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine” — doesn’t even appear in any versions before Bell. Lieber and Stoller never wrote that line — and they hated it. Lyricist Lieber spent the rest of his life complaining about the new words, especially the “You ain’t never caught a rabbit” part. Elvis's version added new twists like the massive drumroll into the chorus, part of the song’s legacy ever since.
