Hound Dog – Elvis Presley | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1), Country (#1), and R&B (#1); 1956
Story Behind The Song By Harris Sterling
In 1956, Elvis Presley released Hound Dog as the A-side of a double-sided hit paired with Don’t Be Cruel. The song was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and had first been recorded by Big Mama Thornton in 1952.
Produced by Steve Sholes, Presley’s version featured a faster tempo and a more aggressive rock and roll arrangement. Released in the summer of 1956, Hound Dog reached #1 on the Billboard Pop, Country, and R&B charts, remaining at the top of the Pop chart for 11 weeks.
The lyric uses the phrase “hound dog” as a metaphor for someone who is unfaithful or unreliable. Rather than elaborate storytelling, the song relies on repetition and rhythmic drive.
Hound Dog became one of Elvis Presley’s most controversial and commercially successful singles, further cementing his status as a leading figure in early rock and roll.
This content was created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Harris Sterling. © 2026 Harris Sterling. All rights reserved.
Produced by:
Steve Sholes
Lyrics Written by:
Jerry Leiber
Mike Stoller
Awards:
No Grammy Awards were awarded at the time of its release.
Harris Sterling
Independent music label executive Harris Sterling has worked in the music industry for most of his career.
As Executive Vice President for independent music label Madacy Entertainment, he led the strategic marketing and business development for the label, negotiating agreements with the major record labels to release custom music compilations under license with major brands, such as Ford Motor Company, Crayola, Care Bears and Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Harris also led Madacy’s strategy for the licensing of its entire music catalogue to Apple for their launch of the IPOD.
In 2011, Harris co-founded Starting Five Media, a company that specializes in recording and licensing custom renditions of popular songs as well as clearing the rights to the music composition for use by their clients in media projects.
Harris has negotiated publishing and master recording rights for many Top 40 songs for use in various media projects, TV Commercials and more.