The music of the 1950s is almost always good enough to put anyone in a good mood. But these three songs, all out in 1956, are so good, they still make me smile big today.
“Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley
One of Elvis Presley’s most popular songs, “Hound Dog” appears on Presley’s Elvis’ Golden Records album. The song comes in the middle of a lengthy string of hits for Presley. “Hound Dog” was released right after “Don’t Be Cruel”. “Hound Dog” was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
Videos by American Songwriter
The uptempo tune begins with, “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.”
Interestingly, although “Hound Dog” is known as a Presley song, he isn’t the first artist to record the fun tune. It was first released by Big Mama Thornton in 1953, followed by Freddie Bell of Freddie Bell and The Bellboys.
“Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino
A No. 1 hit for Fats Domino, “Blueberry Hill” is on his This Is Fats Domino! album. Written by Larry Stock and Al Lewis, “Blueberry Hill” is one of the many No. 1 singles by Fats Domino.
“Blueberry Hill” says, “I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill / On Blueberry Hill, when I found you / The moon stood still on Blueberry Hill / And lingered until my dreams came true / The wind in the willow played / Love’s sweet melody / But all of those vows you made / Were never to be.”
“Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins
“Blue Suede Shoes” might be known as a Presley song, but he isn’t the first artist to release the fun song. Carl Perkins first released “Blue Suede Shoes” as part of his Dance Album Of … Carl Perkins record. Written by Perkins, the song became a rock and country hit for him. Surprisingly, Presley’s version also came out in 1956 and was also a hit for Presley.
Still, it’s Perkins who introduced “Blue Suede Shoes” to the world. The song says, “Well, you can knock me down, step in my face / Slander my name all over the place / Well, do anything that you wanna do / But, uh-uh, honey, lay off of them shoes / And don’t you step on my blue suede shoes / Well, you can do anything, but stay off of my blue suede shoes / Let’s go, cat.”
Photo: Getty Images