Don't Be Cruel

Last updated

"Don't Be Cruel"
ElvisCruelDog.JPG
US picture sleeve
Single by Elvis Presley
B-side "Hound Dog"
ReleasedJuly 13, 1956 (1956-07-13)
RecordedJuly 2, 1956
Studio RCA Victor, New York City
Genre
Length2:04
Label RCA Victor
Songwriter(s) Otis Blackwell
Producer(s)
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"
(1956)		"Don't Be Cruel"
(1956)		"Blue Suede Shoes"
(1956)

"Don't Be Cruel" is a song that was recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Otis Blackwell in 1956. [1] It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was listed #197 in Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Contents

Elvis Presley

Recording

"Don't Be Cruel" was the first song that Presley's song publishers, Hill & Range, brought to him to record. [2] Blackwell was more than happy to give up 50% of the royalties and a co-writing credit to Presley to ensure that the "hottest new singer around covered it". [1] But unfortunately he had already sold the song for only $25, as he stated in an interview of American Songwriter.

Freddy Bienstock, Presley's music publisher, gave the following explanation for why Presley received co-writing credit for songs like "Don't Be Cruel". "In the early days Elvis would show dissatisfaction with some lines and he would make alterations, so it wasn't just what is known as a 'cut-in'. His name did not appear after the first year. [3] But if Presley liked the song, the writers would be offered a guarantee of a million records and they would surrender a third of their royalties to Elvis'." [4]

Presley recorded the song on July 2, 1956, during an exhaustive recording session at RCA Victor Studios in New York City. [1] During this session he also recorded "Hound Dog", and "Any Way You Want Me". [2] The song featured Presley's band of Scotty Moore on lead guitar (with Presley usually providing rhythm guitar), Bill Black on double bass, D. J. Fontana on drums, Shorty Long on piano, and backing vocals from the Jordanaires. The producing credit was given to RCA's Stephen H. Sholes, although the studio recordings reveal that Presley produced the songs in this session by selecting the song, reworking the arrangement on piano, and insisting on 28 takes before he was satisfied with it. [1] He also ran through 31 takes of "Hound Dog". [2]

Release

The single was released on July 13, 1956, backed with "Hound Dog". [1] Within a few weeks "Hound Dog" had risen to #2 on the Pop charts with sales of over one million. [2] Soon after it was overtaken by "Don't Be Cruel" which took #1 on all three main charts; Pop, Country, and R'n'B. [1] Between them, both songs remained at #1 on the Pop chart for a run of 11 weeks tying it with the 1950 Anton Karas hit "The Third Man Theme" and the 1951–1952 Johnnie Ray hit "Cry" for the longest stay at number one by a single record from late 1950 onward until 1992's smash "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men. By the end of 1956 it had sold in excess of four million copies. [1] [2] Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1956.

Presley performed "Don't Be Cruel" during all three of his appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in September 1956 and January 1957. [1]

In the UK, it remained a B-side, but was posthumously a hit in its own right, reaching number 24 in the UK Singles Chart in 1978, a year after Presley's death.

Legacy

1956 sheet music. Dontbecruelelvis.jpg
1956 sheet music.

"Don't Be Cruel" went on to become Presley's biggest selling single recorded in 1956, with sales over six million by 1961. [1] It became a regular feature of his live sets until his death in 1977, and was often coupled with "Jailhouse Rock" or "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" during performances from 1969. [1]

Personnel

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Cuba—50,000 [6]
United Kingdom (BPI) [7] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

The Beatles versions

According to author Mark Lewisohn in The Complete Beatles Chronicles (p. 362) the Beatles performed "Don't Be Cruel" live from about 1959 to 1961, though no recording is known to survive. The band did record a laid-back version during the massive 1969 Get Back sessions, but it has never been officially released. However ex-Beatles John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Pete Best and Lennon's former bandmembers the Quarrymen as well as Tony Sheridan all later recorded versions of it.

Other versions

Many other artists including Connie Francis (1959, Rock 'n' Roll Million Sellers), Annette Peacock, Barbara Lynn (1963, Jamie #1244 45 RPM, #93 on the Hot 100), [8] Bill Black's Combo, Billy Swan, Devo, The Residents, Cheap Trick, Daffy Duck, [9] Merle Haggard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neil Diamond, and Jackie Wilson have recorded the song. Presley was said to be so impressed with Wilson's version that he would later incorporate many of Wilson's mannerisms into future performances. [1] Debbie Harry of the new wave group Blondie recorded the song for the Otis Blackwell tribute album Brace Yourself! A Tribute to Otis Blackwell. [10] A cover by American country music duo the Judds peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1987. [11] Cheap Trick's version of this song, the second single released from the band's tenth studio album Lap of Luxury , reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in October 1988.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers lip-synched the original version of the song in a scene from Elvis , where it shows him performing at the Jacksonville Theater.

Chart positions

Bill Black's Combo

Chart (1960)Peak
position
Canada CHUM Chart [12] 13
UK Singles Chart32
US Billboard Top 100 Singles11
US R&B Singles ( Billboard )9

Billy Swan

Chart (1975)Peak
position
Austrian Top 4016 [13]
French Singles Chart [14] 35
South African Singles Chart12
Swiss Music Charts4
UK Singles Chart42
West German Singles Chart26
Year-end charts
Chart (1975)Peak
position
Swiss Music Charts19

The Judds

Chart (1987)Peak
position
Canada Top Country Tracks ( RPM ) [15] 4
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [16] 10
Year-end charts
Chart (1987)Position
Canada Top Country Tracks (RPM) [17] 68

Cheap Trick

Chart (1988)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [18] 2
US Billboard Hot 100 4
Year-end charts
Chart (1988)Position
Canada (RPM) [19] 53
US Billboard Hot 100 [20] [21] 70

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otis Blackwell</span> American songwriter (1931–2002)

Otis Blackwell was an American songwriter whose work influenced rock and roll. His compositions include "Fever", "Great Balls of Fire" and "Breathless", "Don't Be Cruel", "All Shook Up" and "Return to Sender", and "Handy Man".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hound Dog (song)</span> 1952 song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

"Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Recorded originally by Big Mama Thornton on August 13, 1952, in Los Angeles and released by Peacock Records in late February 1953, "Hound Dog" was Thornton's only hit record, selling over 500,000 copies, spending 14 weeks in the R&B charts, including seven weeks at number one. Thornton's recording of "Hound Dog" is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", ranked at 318 in the 2021 iteration of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in February 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Shook Up</span> Song by Elvis Presley

"All Shook Up" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley, published by Elvis Presley Music, and composed by Otis Blackwell. The single topped the U.S. Billboard Top 100 on April 13, 1957, staying there for nine weeks. It also topped the Billboard R&B chart for four weeks, becoming Presley's second single to do so, and peaked at No. 1 on the country chart as well. It is certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuck on You (Elvis Presley song)</span> 1960 single by Elvis Presley

"Stuck on You" was Elvis Presley's first hit single after his two-year stint in the US Army, reaching number one in 1960 in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Return to Sender (song)</span> 1962 single by Elvis Presley

"Return to Sender" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley and featured in the film Girls! Girls! Girls!. The song was written by Winfield Scott and Otis Blackwell to suit Presley's rock and roll musical style. The singer laments his relationship with a spiteful partner. Released on October 2, 1962, and published by Elvis Presley Music, the song became a commercial hit and received praise for its lyricism and melody.

<i>Elvis</i> (1956 album) 1956 studio album by Elvis Presley

Elvis is the second studio album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor on October 19, 1956 in mono. Recording sessions took place on September 1, September 2, and September 3 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, with one track left over from the sessions for Presley's debut album at the RCA Victor recording studios on January 30 in New York. It spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart that year, making Presley the first recording artist to have both albums go straight to number one in the same year. It would go on to spend 5 weeks at #1 in total. It was certified Gold on February 17, 1960, and Platinum on August 10, 2011, by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>Pot Luck</i> (Elvis Presley album) 1962 studio album by Elvis Presley

Pot Luck with Elvis is the seventh studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2523, in May 18, 1962. Recording sessions took place on March 22, 1961, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, and on June 25 and October 15, 1961, and March 18 and March 19, 1962, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Top LP's chart.

"(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I" is a popular song written by Bill Trader and published in 1952. Recorded as a single by Hank Snow it peaked at number four on the US country charts early in 1953.

"You're the Apple of My Eye" is a song written by Otis Blackwell and initially recorded and released as a single in 1956 by The Four Lovers, the precursor to The Four Seasons. Recorded after they were denied the opportunity to record another Blackwell song, "Don't Be Cruel", "You're the Apple of My Eye" was The Four Lovers' first exposure to U.S. national publicity, reaching the #62 position on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning the quartet an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. One of two Four Lovers singles that RCA Victor Records released simultaneously, it was the quartet's only foray onto the Hot 100 before the formation of The Four Seasons five years later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Forgot to Remember to Forget</span>

"I Forgot to Remember to Forget" is a 1955 rockabilly and country song, first recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Stan Kesler and Charlie Feathers. It was Elvis' first no. 1 record nationally. The single was the fifth and final single released on Sun Records before Elvis moved to RCA Records.

<i>Loving You</i> (soundtrack) 1957 soundtrack album by Elvis Presley

Loving You is the first soundtrack album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. It was released by RCA Victor in mono, LPM 1515, in June 1957 to accompany his film, Loving You (1957). Recording sessions took place on January 15, 16, 17, and 18, 1957, at the Paramount Pictures Scoring Stage, and on January 12, 13, 19, and February 23 and 24, 1957, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood. These are the first sessions where Steve Sholes is officially listed as producer. It spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. It was certified Gold on April 9, 1968 by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's Now or Never (song)</span> English-language song

"It's Now or Never" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and released as a single in 1960. The song is one of the best-selling singles by Presley, and one of the best-selling physical singles of all time. It was recorded by Bill Porter at RCA Studio B in Nashville. It is written in E major and has a tempo of 80 BPM.

<i>Roustabout</i> (soundtrack) 1964 soundtrack album by Elvis Presley

Roustabout is the ninth soundtrack album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2999, in October 1964. It is the soundtrack to the 1964 film of the same name starring Presley. Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California, on March 2 and 3, and April 29, 1964. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Top LPs chart. It was certified Gold on May 20, 1988 by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album would be Presley's final soundtrack to reach number one and his last number one album until 1973's Aloha From Hawaii: Via Satellite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paralyzed (Elvis Presley song)</span> 1956 song by Elvis Presley

"Paralyzed" is a 1956 song recorded by Elvis Presley for his album Elvis. The song was recorded on September 1, 1956, and has been well received by music critics. The song was written by Otis Blackwell, and Elvis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(Such an) Easy Question</span> 1962 song by Elvis Presley

"(Such an) Easy Question" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley in 1962 for the Pot Luck with Elvis album. It was released as a single in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elvis Presley singles discography</span>

The singles discography of Elvis Presley began in 1954 with the release of his first commercial single, "That's All Right". Following his regional success with Sun Records, Presley was signed to RCA Victor on November 20, 1955. Presley's first single with RCA, "Heartbreak Hotel", was a worldwide hit, reaching the No. 1 position in four countries and the top 10 in many other countries. Other hit singles from the 1950s include "Don't Be Cruel", "Hound Dog", "Love Me Tender", "Too Much", "All Shook Up", "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear", "Jailhouse Rock", "Don't", "Hard Headed Woman" and "A Big Hunk o' Love". On March 24, 1958, Presley entered the United States Army at Memphis, Tennessee, and was stationed in Germany. He left active duty on March 5, 1960.

<i>Tickle Me</i> (EP) 1965 EP (soundtrack) by Elvis Presley

Tickle Me is an extended play by Elvis Presley containing songs from the motion picture of the same name. It was released by RCA Victor in 1965.

"The Elvis Medley" is an Elvis Presley medley arranged and produced by David Briggs. The track opened the eponymous LP released in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello</span> 1962 single by Elvis Presley

"Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" is a song originally recorded by Elvis Presley with backing vocals provided by The Jordanaires. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It reached number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Victor (2008), The Elvis Encyclopedia, p.115-116
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Guralnick/Jorgensen, Elvis: Day by Day, p. 77-78
  3. ↑ "RCS Label Shot for RCA Victor (N.J.) 6604". Rcs-discography.com. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Freddy Bienstock | Music Publishing and Elvis Presley | Elvis Articles". Elvis.com.au. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Elvis Presley Recording Sessions". Keithflynn.com. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  6. ↑ Pérez, Louis A. (2008). On Becoming Cuban: Identity, Nationality, and Culture. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 392–393. ISBN   9780807858998 . Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  7. ↑ "British single certifications – Elvis Presley – Don't Be Cruel". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ Barbara Lynn's "Don't Be Cruel" Chart Position Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  9. ↑ Donkers, Chuck. "Bugs & Friends Sing Elvis - Looney Tunes : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic . Ann Arbor, USA: Rovi Corporation . Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  10. ↑ Che, Cathy (1999), 'Deborah Harry: Platinum Blonde', MPG Books Ltd, Cornwall, p.238
  11. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 176. ISBN   978-0-89820-203-8.
  12. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - October 24, 1960".
  13. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Billy Swan - Don't Be Cruel". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  14. ↑ https://chartssinglestop40france.blogspot.com/2017/06/8-juin-1975.html
  15. ↑ "RPM Country Singles - April 18, 1987" (PDF).
  16. ↑ "The Judds Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  17. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Country Singles of '87 - December 26, 1987" (PDF).
  18. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - October 8, 1988" (PDF).
  19. ↑ "RPM Magazine - December 24, 1988 - Page 9" (PDF).
  20. ↑ "1988 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 52. December 24, 1988. p. Y-20.
  21. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 – 1988" . Retrieved October 3, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.