On July 1, 1956, millions of families turned on their television sets to watch The Steve Allen Show.
They expected to see Elvis Presley, the wildest new star in America, shake his hips and sing rock ‘n’ roll. Instead, they saw something completely bizarre. Elvis was standing completely still, wearing a formal, fancy tuxedo. Even stranger, he was singing his rock song “Hound Dog” to a real, live basset hound dog wearing a top hat.
While the audience laughed, Elvis was secretly burning with anger. Behind the scenes, this funny television moment was actually a mean trick that left the future King of Rock and Roll feeling deeply humiliated.
To understand why this happened, you have to look at what happened just a few weeks earlier. On another TV show, Elvis had danced with so much wild, energetic energy that parents and critics were outraged.
Elvis Presley “Hound Dog” (October 28, 1956) on The Ed Sullivan Show
They called his dance moves vulgar and bad for children. Because of all that bad press, television producers were terrified. When Elvis came to Steve Allen’s show, the producers decided they had to “clean him up” and make him safe for families.
They stripped away his cool, flashy stage clothes and forced him into that stiff tuxedo. They told him he could not dance or shake. Then, they brought out the dog. Elvis had absolutely no say in the matter. He had to follow their rules, but he felt like the television executives were making fun of him and treating his music like a big joke.
But this embarrassing night actually backfired on the TV producers.
Elvis Presley – Hound Dog (Official Audio)
The very next day, on July 2, 1956, an angry Elvis marched right into a music studio. He was still so upset about the tuxedo and the dog that he poured all of his frustration and strong energy into recording the official version of “Hound Dog.”
He sang it louder and harder than ever before.
That night, Elvis went home to Memphis to put on a concert for his real fans. He looked out at the crowd and promised them that the big bosses in New York were never going to change him. He kept that promise. The song he recorded out of anger became one of the biggest hits in music history, proving that nobody could tame the true spirit of rock ‘n’ roll.