Remembering Elvis Presley with our favorite songs

1. "Hound Dog"

“Hound Dog” was probably the most controversial song that Elvis performed. It was not intended to be a cover of the original by Big Mama Thornton, but was instead an imitation of a parody by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys, whom Elvis and his band watched nightly while performing in Vegas. They felt performing the song would provide some comic relief. Elvis himself had later referred to it as the silliest song they ever did. In national television appearances on The Milton Berle Show and The Steve Allen Show, young girls screamed and audiences laughed at Elvis’ exaggerated gyrations he employed. But the critics were ruthless in their attacks on the performances. Politicians, music veterans and educators expressed their thorough disgust at the tone of voice, the lyrics, the loud guitar, the indecency.

Elvis’ 1956 recording of “Hound Dog” would be his best-selling single of his career. The song spent 11 weeks at No. 1, a record that would not be broken until 1992. It sold over 10 million copies, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1988, is No. 19 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.