Description
Book SynopsisMany listeners first heard "Hound Dog" when Elvis Presley's single topped the pop, country, and R&B charts in 1956. But some fans already knew the song from Big Mama Thornton's earlier recording, a giant but exclusively R&B hit. In Hound Dog Eric Weisbard examines the racial, commercial, and cultural ramifications of Elvis's appropriation of a Black woman's anthem. He rethinks the history and influences of rock music in light of Rolling Stone's replacement of Presley's "Hound Dog" with Thornton's version in its 2021 "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list. Taking readers from Presley and Thornton to Patti Page's "Doggie in the Window," the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog," and other dog ditties, Weisbard uses "Hound Dog" to reflect on one of rock's fundamental dilemmas: the whiteness of the wail.
Trade Review“Eric Weisbard has long been one of my favorite music historians and writers. His professorial love for both the high- and the lowbrow (and the latter's relevance to the trends and movements that followed), mixed with his punchy, minimalistic voice, makes a great combination.” -- Patterson Hood, performer, writer, and Drive-By Truckers cofounder
“Bringing together the music of Big Mama Thornton, Elvis, Patti Page, Iggy Pop, George Clinton, DMX, Nirvana, and Patti Smith, among others, Eric Weisbard steers us through some of the most contentious debates in the American pop music landscape and somehow manages to make it a joyride. As witty as it is bighearted,
Hound Dog reminds us that a favorite song—sometimes heard against the grain—can remake us and also remake worlds.” -- Francesca T. Royster, author of * Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions *
"This is a both entertaining and informative traversal of the evolution of pop/rock, exemplified in one well-remembered song. [It] will likely appeal to both music scholars and readers investigating the intersection of race and society in the U.S." -- Barry Zaslow * Library Journal *
Table of ContentsIntro 1
1. “Doggie in the Window” and the 1950s Pop Single 13
2. Dog Ditties 27
3. “Hound Dog,” Take One: Big Mama Thornton 35
4. Elvis Presley Belatedly Records “Hound Dog” 51
5. “Hound Dog” as Influence 65
6. Interpreting “Hound Dog” 81
7. The Whiteness of the Wail 93
Outro 113
Acknowledgments 117
Notes 119
Bibliography 129
Index 139
