We all know (and maybe even love) Elvis’ ’50s hit, “Hound Dog.” The song features spunky bass and upbeat percussion, of course all partnered with Elvis’s smooth vocals. Upon its release in 1956, the song was an immediate hit, racking up an impressive 11 weeks as a No. 1 hit, which was unheard of at the time. Even today, over half a century later, the melody remains almost unmistakable.
Last year, Warner Bros. Pictures released a star-studded biopic detailing Elvis’ incredible career, starring Austin Butler as Elvis, as well as Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker. The film was very successful, not only because of its loaded cast, but also because of its modernized soundtrack. Easily the most popular song on the soundtrack which wasn’t one of Elvis’s own, was Doja Cat’s refashioned take on “Hound Dog,” titled, “Vegas.”
Likely, if you’re unfamiliar with the history of the song, or haven’t seen the movie (like me), you’ll brush past the sample featured at the beginning of “Vegas.” However, if you listen closely, it becomes abundantly clear that the voice in the sample is not Elvis. A quick google search will let you know that it’s actually the voice of blues singer Big Mama Thornton.
Big Mama Thornton, born Willie Mae Thornton, first recorded “Hound Dog” at just 26 years old in 1952. Thornton’s version is distinctly discernable from Elvis’s version due to its calmer percussion, differing instrumentation and less upbeat feel. One of the most key differences is the lyrics of the original.
In Big Mama Thornton’s lyrics, she is utilizing an extended metaphor to call out a man who was cheating on her. She sings, “You made me feel so blue/Yeah you made me weep and moan/Cause you ain’t looking for a woman/All you’re lookin’ is for a home,” to express how she feels exploited by this man who does not pay her any respect. Her version is easily interpreted as emotionally vulnerable and meaningful.
Contrastingly, Elvis’s 1956 rerecording is literally about a dog. He sings about how his dog is, “Cryin’ all the time/Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit/And you ain’t no friend of mine.” The singer details how his dog is not good at anything dogs should be good at and is therefore “ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog.”
While both artists are entitled to their artistic freedom, it’s hard to look at Elvis’s lyrics and not see a stripped-down version of Thornton’s. This is where Doja Cat steps in.
Doja Cat’s “Vegas,” pulls so much of Thornton’s original meaning and passion back into the song. “Vegas” highlights the feeling of being successful and renewed after being emotionally released from a man who wasn’t worth it. One lyric expains, “I’m losin’ my patience/this ain’t stayin’ in Vegas (you ain’t nothin’ but a)/There’s more sides to the story/I’ma tell everybody,” which insinuates she was cheated on, and the verse ends with her realization that he was never worth it in the first place, “High school when you finally peaked/Hound dog, come find a treat/I’m a bad bi—, but (you ain’t nothin’ but a)/Dog.”
By both modernizing and revamping the original, but preserving the significance of the lyrics, Doja Cat was able to cement Big Mama Thornton’s legacy that much more. The song “Hound Dog” has been incredibly influential in America’s Rock and Roll culture and pop culture, and it’s important to understand this influence.
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