You’d be hard-pressed to find a jukebox in your local diner or pub now. But from the 40s to the 70s, those things were all the rage. Here are a few rock-and-roll songs we still enjoy that were jukebox essentials back in the day.
“Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley
Even though Elvis Presley was initially inspired by a version of this song by Freddie Bell and The Bell Boys, “Hound Dog” was actually first released by blues singer Big Mama Thornton in the early 50s.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Hound Dog” became one of Elvis’ early definitive hits. It helped launch the rock-and-roll revolution and establish The King as an international superstar. In addition, it broke what had been a 36 year long record at the time by remaining at the top of multiple charts for 11 weeks.
“Old Time Rock & Roll” by Bob Seger
This song ended up being one of Seger’s signature hits. But he didn’t think much of it when it was shown to him by George Jackson, who wrote the song before Seger changed some of the lyrics.
“All I kept from the original was: ‘Old time rock and roll, that kind of music just soothes the soul, I reminisce about the days of old with that old time rock and roll’,” Seger explained in an interview. “I rewrote the verses and I never took credit. That was the dumbest thing I ever did.”
“Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino
Even though Domino made this song popular, the singer-songwriter was not the first or the last to release a version of it. Before he released his rock-and-rollified version in 1956, the song was done by multiple orchestras. After him, Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, Andy Williams, and Cliff Richard all recorded versions, just to name a few.
Seeing as he himself was a pioneer of rock and roll, it’s really no wonder that Domino influenced legendary artists like The Beatles. In fact, when Domino died in 2017, Paul McCartney posted a statement online. “Rest in peace Fats Domino,” he wrote. “The great rock ’n’ roll pianist and singer who thrilled us in our early days in Liverpool…”
“(We’re Gonna) Rock Around The Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets
This Haley song was actually the first rock song ever to top the charts, way back in the mid-50s. The first version of the song to be released was put out by Sonny Dae And His Knights. The success it saw led Haley and his record label, Decca Records, to release the version that would go No. 1.
Photo by: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images