ELVIS PRESLEY – “Jailhouse Rock”
Presley’s first No.1 was all about the voice and the rhythm just did the job it had to. “Jailhouse Rock”, his second, is nothing without its beat. The lyrics are funny, of course, and Elvis as skilful as before (his specific trick here is combining a breakneck holler with the pinpoint comic timing the song asks for). But without that tension-racking drum and piano rhythm, half heartbeat half roll, “Jailhouse Rock” would just be a skit. Every time those piano chords hit and linger it’s a promise made to your hips that good things are just seconds away: so much of the fun in dancing (in pop) is rooted in that anticipation.
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One of the most explosive intros evs – the snare sounds like it was made of sheet metal, beaten with a sledgehammer by the beefiest convict on the whole cell block.
Vocally, Elvis pulls off an almost monotone scream. He never sang quite like this again, and you can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for his fans when his post-army 45s were all delivered in a baritone with country/operatic leanings: “Elvis, scream for us!”
All this and Leiber and Stoller’s sly “you’re the cutest jailbird I ever did see”. What, it was a mixed prison?