The Early Years
Important acronyms, performers for
today’s session
• Rock and Roll is a fusion of musical styles/trends
• Two „tributaries”
– RB a.k.a. Rhythm and Blues
– CW a.k.a. Country and Western
• Performers
– Elvis (and Big Mama)
– The Shadows
– Little Richard (and Illés)
The King -Elvis
• Natural-born talent, grew up in poor white family,
Memphis, Tenesse
– Initially very shy, taunted as „mama’s boy”
– Never learnt to read musical notes
– Watched/listened to many black musicians
• Key to success: managers/business wanted white man playing black
music: Radio listeners thought he was black.
• Early, but extremely professionaly made colour video clip of
Jailhouse Rock, 1957
– Sex symbol: „Elvis the pelvis”
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZJTgYzf9FE
– A website I use a lot, but there are a lot of silly comments too:
http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/69636/
– A prison is mysterious, and certinly not fun, but ??? „This song is
about rapists, drug addicts, and convicted terrorists…” ???
Elvis, at the top and in decline
• Long career, but most top chart success in the late 50s and less
so in the 60s, and few before his death in 1977.
– Making films: an actor as well? A distraction?
– Inescapable Christmas songs/albums
• A great voice and an „interpreter”
– Almost never sang his own songs (contributions, yes) – strange
examples, e.g. Hound Dog , 1956
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMmljYkdr-w
– Earlier performer Big Mama Thornton, Lbs 350, 1952
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvbSXVc451Q
– Interesting parallel:
• E’s version more rock, while Big Mama’s is more blues.
• Awkward for a man to sing a song specially crafted , by the famous Leiber –
stoller duo, for an early feminist ? Woman?
– White rabbit?
– Contrast: Hungarian Illés advocated for bands to write their own
songs as early as 1964!
– What’s the difference between a gigolo, a pimp, an escort, a kept
woman and a pin-up female?
Hound Dog, slang for a gigolo
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
And you ain't no friend of mine
Well they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Yeah they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
And you ain't no friend of mine
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
And you ain't no friend of mine
Well they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Yeah they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
And you ain't no friend of mine
Well they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
You know they said you was high-classed
Well, that was just a lie
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
And you ain't no friend of mine
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
You ain't no friend of mine
The Shadows
•
•
•
•
Singer Cliff Richard’s back-up band
Mostly instrumental songs – untypical?
Mostly covers, like Elvis.
The Shadows’ Apache, 1960
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2izTbEyxg0A&list=
RD2izTbEyxg0A#t=21
– Might have been soundtrack in a „macaroni Western”,
eh?
• Active until very recently, Riders in the Sky, 1980
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdfGQwENrs&list=RD2izTbEyxg0A&index=9
Little Richard (born Penniman)
• American singer, songwriter, musician, eccentric and –
rock „influencer”.
– Showman and clown, too: Good Golly, Miss Molly, 1958
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ6h0kyqSRk&index=2&list=
RDGsJVT8Jr_pM
• Long Tally Sally, 1956
– Covered by the Kinks, the Beatles (both 1964) and many
others and was referred to (had a song written about him)
by Hungarian Illés (1967)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmPDod_uasM
– Song about casual sex, made out to be terribly fast so that
a rival, Pat Boone would be unable to cover it.
– Different levels of interpretation
Long Tall Sally
Gonna tell Aunt Mary 'bout Uncle John,
He claim he has the misery but he's havin'
a lot of fun,
Oh baby, yeah baby, woo
Havin' me some fun tonight yeah
Well, long, tall Sally
She's built for speed, she got
Everything that Uncle John need oh baby,
Yeah baby, woo baby,
Havin' me some fun tonight yeah
Well long, tall Sally
She's built for speed, she got
Everything that Uncle John need, oh baby,
Yeah baby, woo baby,
Havin' me some fun tonight yeah
Well, I saw Uncle John with bald head
Sally.
He saw Aunt Mary comin' and he ducked
back in the alley oh baby,
Yeah baby, woo baby,
Havin' me some fun tonight, yeah
Well, I saw Uncle John with long tall Sally.
He saw Aunt Mary comin' and he ducked
back in the alley oh baby,
Yeah baby, woo baby,
Havin' me some fun tonight, yeah ow
We gonna have some fun tonight,
We gonna have some fun tonight, woo
Have some fun tonight, everything's all
right,
Have some fun, have me some fun
tonight.
Homework
• Powerpoint: Read, watch, listen, compare
sound and lyrics, study, answer questions
• Formulate impressions of artists of your own.
• Encylopaedia readings (on Wednesday only,
sorry!)