The unbelievable mid-Atlantic survival story of Elvis Presley’s ‘Hound Dog’ songwriter
As exceptional as he may have been at performing them, there’s no denying that Elvis Presley probably wouldn’t have achieved the same levels of success had he not been fortunate enough to pick the right songs.
Back in the 1950s, during the dawn of popular music as we know it, there were plenty of songwriters who used to specifically write songs for certain performers, but quite often, songs would be written and then kept in a repository of sorts by publishing companies, ready to hand out to anyone willing to give the song a crack. Throughout his career, Presley benefited largely from being handed songs by publishing houses, but there were occasions where people approached him to perform their songs directly.
‘Heartbreak Hotel’, for example, was presented to Presley by songwriter Mae Boren Axton while at a country music convention, and he’d end up taking it on and having his first number one hit with it, launching his career as it remained at the top of the US charts for seven weeks.
However, while this was a rather remarkable introduction, it wouldn’t come anywhere near the success that he went on to have with ‘Hound Dog’, a track that had previously been a huge hit for Big Mama Thornton in 1952. Written by the illustrious songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, it was evident that his rendition of it was going to be a seismic success and would also be hugely important for the songwriting duo, but they were almost unable to reap their rewards.
In 1955, while the duo were at their most active, Leiber and Stoller worked on a couple of songs with the vocal group, the Cheers, handing them ‘Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots’ as well as ‘Bazoom (I Need Your Lovin’)’, although it wouldn’t be them who had success with the tracks.
Famous French singer Édith Piaf recorded a French-language cover of the former, earning the duo a major hit in Europe and providing them with enough royalties to afford a trip across the Atlantic for Stoller to meet Piaf. However, when Stoller’s boat, the SS Andrea Doria, was struck by an ocean liner on the journey back to New York, he was significantly delayed in being able to return, missing the news that, in the meantime, he and Leiber had had another major hit.
Allegedly, Leiber met with Stoller upon his arrival to inform him that ‘Hound Dog’ had reached number one around the globe courtesy of the emerging Presley, who Stoller had not even heard of at this time, responding with a flippant “Elvis who?” to his colleague.
However, this unknown teen sensation would end up being the recipient of plenty more hits courtesy of Leiber and Stoller, with ‘Don’t’ and ‘Jailhouse Rock’ also having been number one hits. From being totally unfamiliar with him to providing him with some of his most beloved material, the relationship between the two parties was blessed from the moment Stoller landed back on American soil.
Presley may not have been as successful without the help of the songwriters he worked with, and in the case of Mike Stoller, thank goodness he survived an almost catastrophic incident to be able to write more for him.
