What was the first rock song to ever debut at number one?
Achieving a number one single feels inherently contradictory to the quintessential idea of rock.
As one hand thrusts into the air, pointing the devil horns, the other can’t be clutching a number one record award and giving in to the commercial powers that be. To the rock purists, it will ultimately feel like a betrayal. But why is that?
Well, in the spirit of Jack Black in School of Rock, the idea of this genre is all about sticking it to the man. And sticking it to the man is ultimately about refusing the acceptance that may come from conventional structures, and in essence, a chart number one is the greatest representation of that. Also, chart success speaks to a sort of widespread, baseless connection with its listeners that good rock seeks to avoid. Instead, it wants a real-life connection with subcultural communities that care.
So, a debut number one isn’t exactly the kind of accolade most rock artists are shouting from the rooftops about – even though it’s a pretty rare feat. Sure, plenty of rock songs have topped the charts over the years, but they’ve usually done it by building influence gradually. Much like the movements they represent, they gain momentum and stir something in the public bit by bit, until they eventually become a proper force to be reckoned with.
But there was one artist who became a rockstar long before it had a chance to morph into something anti-establishment, and so instead became an icon. Elvis Presley almost invented the idea of mainstream music and did so through the humble beginnings of blues rock, and so it comes as no surprise that he is the artist who first debuted at number one with a rock song.
But what song was it?
Presley topped the UK charts a total of 21 times, and debuted at number one with just his second single, which was the formidable ‘Jailhouse Rock’ in 1958. It was a blues hit at its very finest, showcasing his charismatic vocal style, one that would go on to influence a host of musicians for decades to come.
While the song was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, it was more than just an artist tepidly performing the writing of another. This was Elvis at his colourful best, proving that his voice and performance style was unique from anything that existed within the cultural space at this moment, and it was the beginning of a truly groundbreaking artist.
But its success in the charts was also down to a creative approach that would ultimately become the undoing of Presley. The song existed in unison with the film of the same name, and so the song acts as the cross-platform moment that saw Elvis become both a cinema and music star.
As ‘Jailhouse Rock’ skyrocketed to number one on its debut, it was a surefire confirmation that keeping him hemmed into blockbuster soundtracks would equate to financial success through the charts. Sure, on ‘Jailhouse Rock’ it worked for the benefit of all involved, but as Elvis’ career rolled on and he was deprived of making music more personal to him, his star quality began to fade.
