Assignment 1
The “Hound Dog” television scandal
Elvis’ performance of “Hound Dog” on the Milton Berle show was a scandal in the 1950’s. Why do think his performance was so shocking to a mainstream audience? Think of a modern music performance-related scandal and why it was shocking. Do you think that we will perceive the performance to be as scandalous in 10 years?
example 1
The “Hound Dog” television scandal was shocking to a mainstream audience because the dancing and movements were very provocative and sexual, which the mainstream public had never seen before. These movements seem pretty tame nowadays compared to some other modern artists, however in the 1950’s it was very scandalous. A modern musical performance-related scandal is Sabrina Carpenter’s most recent tour, where she had many sexual dances which were much more provocative than the ones done by Elvis in the 1950’s. I do not believe that we would find this performance scandalous in 10 years as even now many people are accepting the performances as just simply art, and thus don’t criticize it as being too sexual.
Example 2
I think Elviss performance of Hound Dog was so shocking at the time because people werent used to seeing that kind of movement on TV, especially in a more conservative era where everything was expected to be appropriate. A modern example I think of is Travis Scotts Astroworld Festival, which was shocking because of how chaotic and unsafe the crowd situation became during his performance. I dont think either would be seen as that scandalous in 10 years because peoples views on performances and whats considered shocking are always changing.
Assignment 2
Covers vs. Originals
This week, a number of musical examples are covers of other existing songs. Choose a cover song and its original recordings and discuss the differences between the two, and which version is the “definitive” version. Below are some examples from this week, or you can choose one you are already familiar with (please embed the videos here for comparison). It may be helpful to think about the notion of appropriation in some cases.
- “Blue Suede Shoes” – Carl Perkins v. Elvis Presley
- “Hound Dog” – Big Mama Thornton v. Elvis
- “Tutti Frutti” – Little Richard v. Pat Boone
- “The Twist” – Hank Ballard v. Chubby Checker
example 1
Big Mama Thornton first sang Hound Dog in 1952. Her version sounds like blues music and is slower and more serious. She sings it in a strong and powerful way. Elvis Presley made his version later, and his is much faster and more exciting. His version became more famous, but Big Mama Thorntons song feels more real and closer to the original style.
Example 2
I chose Tutti Frutti by Little Richard and the cover by Pat Boone because the differences between them are really noticeable. Little Richards version is loud, energetic, and feels more natural, while Pat Boones version sounds more toned down and controlled. Boones version feels like it was made to be safer for a wider audience, especially at the time. I think Little Richards version is the definitive one because it has more personality and better captures the song’s original style
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