- Don't Be Cruel
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This article is about the song by Elvis Presley. For the song and album by Bobby Brown, see Don't Be Cruel (Bobby Brown song) and Don't Be Cruel (album).
"Don't Be Cruel" Single by Elvis Presley B-side "Hound Dog" Released July 13, 1956 Format 45 rpm, 78 rpm single Recorded July 2, 1956, New York Genre Rock and roll Length 2:04 Label RCA Records Writer(s) Otis Blackwell, Elvis Presley Producer Steve Sholes, Elvis Presley Certification Gold Elvis Presley singles chronology "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"
(1956)"Don't Be Cruel"
(1956)"Love Me Tender"
(1956)"Don't Be Cruel" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music and written by Otis Blackwell in 1956.[1] It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was listed #197 in Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is currently ranked as the 92nd greatest song of all time, as well as the fifth best song of 1956, by Acclaimed Music.[2]
Contents
Elvis Presley
Recording
"Don't Be Cruel" was the first song that Presley's song publishers, Hill and Range, brought to him to record.[3] Blackwell was more than happy to give up 50% of the royalties and a co-writing credit to Presley to ensure that the "hottest new singer around covered it".[1]
Presley recorded the song on July 2, 1956 during an exhaustive recording session at RCA studios in New York City.[1] During this session he also recorded "Hound Dog", and "Any Way You Want Me".[3] The song featured Presley's regular band of Scotty Moore on lead guitar (with Presley usually providing rhythm guitar), Bill Black on bass, D.J. Fontana on drums, and backing vocals from the Jordanaires. The producing credit was given to RCA's Steve Sholes, although the studio recordings reveal that Presley produced the songs in this session by selecting the song, reworking the arrangement on piano, and insisting on 28 takes before he was satisfied with it.[1] He also ran through 31 takes of "Hound Dog".[3]
Release
The single was released on July 13, 1956 backed with "Hound Dog".[1] Within a few weeks "Hound Dog" had risen to #2 on the Pop charts with sales of over one million.[3] Soon after it was overtaken by "Don't Be Cruel" which took #1 on all three main charts; Pop, Country, and R 'n' B.[1] Between them, both songs remained at #1 on the Pop chart for a run of 11 weeks tying it with the 1950 Anton Karas hit "The Third Man Theme" and the 1951/1952 Johnnie Ray hit "Cry" for the longest stay at number one by a single record until 1992's smash "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men. By the end of 1956 it had sold in excess of four million copies.[1][3]
Presley performed "Don't Be Cruel" during all three of his appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in September 1956 and January 1957.[1]
"Don't Be Cruel" Single by Cheap Trick from the album Lap of Luxury Released July 1988 Format Single Recorded 1987 Genre Rock Length 3:06 Label Epic Writer(s) Otis Blackwell, Elvis Presley Producer Richie Zito Cheap Trick singles chronology "The Flame"
(1988)"Don't Be Cruel"
(1988)"Ghost Town"
(1988)Legacy
"Don't Be Cruel" went on to become Presley's biggest selling single recorded in 1956, with sales over six million by 1961.[1] It became a regular feature of his live sets until his death in 1977, and was often coupled with "Jailhouse Rock" or "Teddy Bear" during performances from 1969.[1]
Many artists including Barbara Lynn (1963, Jamie #1244 45 RPM), Bill Black Combo, Billy Swan, Cheap Trick, The Judds, Merle Haggard, John Lennon, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neil Diamond, Jackie Wilson, and Roland Cedermark have recorded the song. Presley was said to be so impressed with Wilson's version that he would later incorporate many of Wilson's mannerisms into future performances.[1] Debbie Harry recorded the song for the Otis Blackwell tribute album "Brace Yourself! A Tribute to Otis Blackwell".[4] Cheap Trick's version of this song became a hit when it reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988.
The main bass riff of the song is also used as the background music in the Nintendo video game Donkey Kong.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers lip-synched the original version of the song in a scene from Elvis, where it shows him performing at the Jacksonville Theatre.
Chart positions
Billy Swan
Chart (1975) Peak
positionAustrian Top 40 16[5] French Singles Chart 32 German Singles Chart 26 South African Singles Chart 12 Swiss Music Charts 4 U.K. Singles Chart 42 Year-End Chart
Chart (1975) Peak
positionSwiss Music Charts 19 Preceded by
I Want You, I Need You, I Love YouCash Box magazine best selling record chart
#1 record
September 15, 1956–October 20, 1956Succeeded by
Love Me TenderPreceded by
"My Prayer" by The PlattersBillboard Top 100 number-one single
(Elvis Presley version)
September 15, 1956Succeeded by
"Green Door" by Jim LowePreceded by
"Honky Tonk" (Part 1 & 2) by Bill DoggettBillboard R&B Best Sellers in Stores number-one single
September 15, 1956Succeeded by
"Honky Tonk" (Part 1 & 2) by Bill DoggettPreceded by
"I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" by Elvis PresleyC&W Best Sellers in Stores
number one single by Elvis Presley with "Hound Dog"
September 15, 1956Succeeded by
"Singing the Blues" by Marty RobbinsReferences
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Victor (2008), The Elvis Encyclopedia, p.115-116
- ^ "Acclaimed Music Top 3000 songs". 27 May 2009. http://www.acclaimedmusic.net.
- ^ a b c d e Guralnick/Jorgensen, Elvis: Day by Day, p.77-78
- ^ Che, Cathy (1999), 'Deborah Harry: Platinum Blonde', MPG Books Ltd, Cornwall, p.238
- ^ http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Billy+Swan&titel=Don%27t+Be+Cruel&cat=s
1950s 1954: "That's All Right" / "Blue Moon of Kentucky" · "Good Rockin' Tonight" / "I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine"
1955: "Baby Let's Play House" · "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" / "Mystery Train"
1956: "Heartbreak Hotel" / "Blue Suede Shoes" / "Tutti Frutti" · "Money Honey" · "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" · "Don't Be Cruel" / "Hound Dog" · "Blue Moon" · "Blue Suede Shoes" / "Tutti Frutti" · "I Got a Woman" · "I'll Never Let You Go (Lil' Darlin')" / "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)" · "Trying to Get To You" · "Blue Moon" · "Money Honey" · "Shake, Rattle and Roll" / "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" · "Love Me Tender" · "Love Me" · "Paralyzed" · "Old Shep"
1957: "Too Much" · "All Shook Up" · "Peace in the Valley · "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" · "Jailhouse Rock" · "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care"
1958: "Don't" · "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" · "Hard Headed Woman" · "One Night"
1959: "I Need Your Love Tonight" / "A Fool Such as I" · "A Big Hunk o' Love"1960s 1960: "Stuck on You" · "It's Now or Never" · "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" · "Surrender" · "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" / "Little Sister" · "Can't Help Falling in Love" / "Rock-A-Hula Baby"
1962: "Good Luck Charm" / "Anything That's Part of You" · "She's Not You" · "Return to Sender"
1963: "(You're The) Devil in Disguise"
1964: "It Hurts Me" · "What'd I Say" / "Viva Las Vegas" · "Blue Christmas"
1965: "Do the Clam" / "You'll Be Gone" · "Crying in the Chapel · "(Such an) Easy Question" · "I'm Yours" · "Wooden Heart"
1966: "Love Letters"
1967: "That's Someone You Never Forget" · "There's Always Me" · "Big Boss Man" / "You Don't Know Me"
1968: "Hi-Heel Sneakers" · "You'll Never Walk Alone" · "A Little Less Conversation"
1969: "How Great Thou Art" · "In the Ghetto" / "Any Day Now" · "Suspicious Minds" · "Don't Cry Daddy"1970s 1970: "Kentucky Rain" · "The Wonder of You" · "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" / "Patch It Up" · "I Really Don't Want to Know" / "There Goes My Everything"
1971: "Rags to Riches" · "Life" · "Heart of Rome" · "Merry Christmas Baby" / "O Come All Ye Faithful"
1972: "Until It's Time for You to Go" · "An American Trilogy" / "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" · "Burning Love" · "Always on My Mind"
1973: "Steamroller Blues"
1974: "Promised Land"
1975: "My Boy" · "T-R-O-U-B-L-E"
1976: "Moody Blue"
1977: "Way Down" / "Pledging My Love" · "My Way" / "America the Beautiful"
1978: "Unchained Melody" / "Softly as I Leave You"Studio albums Wynonna & Naomi · Why Not Me · Rockin' with the Rhythm · Heartland · River of Time · Love Can Build a Bridge · Big Bang BoogieCompilation albums Greatest Hits · The Collectors Series · Greatest Hits Volume Two · From the Heart: 15 Career Classics · The Judds Collection: 1983-1990 · This Country's Rockin' · Talk About Love · Reflections · The Judds: Number One Hits · The Essential Judds · Spiritual Reflections · Greatest Hits: Limited Edition · I Will Stand by You: The Essential CollectionChristmas and live albums Christmas Time with The Judds · Live Studio Sessions · Christmas with The Judds and Alabama · The Judds in Concert · Reunion LiveTop 10 singles "Mama He's Crazy" · "Why Not Me" · "Girls' Night Out" · "Love Is Alive" · "Have Mercy" · "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Ol' Days)" · "Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain" · "Cry Myself to Sleep" · "Don't Be Cruel" · "I Know Where I'm Going" · "Maybe Your Baby's Got the Blues" · "Turn It Loose" · "Give a Little Love" · "Change of Heart" · "Young Love (Strong Love)" · "Let Me Tell You About Love" · "One Man Woman" · "Born to Be Blue" · "Love Can Build a Bridge" · "One Hundred and Two"Related articles Discography · Last Encore TourCategories:- 1956 singles
- 1988 singles
- Elvis Presley songs
- Devo songs
- The Judds songs
- Gene Summers songs
- Cheap Trick songs
- Billy Swan songs
- Billboard Top 100 number-one singles
- Songs written by Otis Blackwell
- Songs written by Elvis Presley
- Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients
- Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one singles
- Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles
- Rockabilly songs
- RCA Records singles
- Curb Records singles
- Epic Records singles
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