“Don’t Be Cruel” and “Hound Dog,” released together as a single in July 1956, began an extraordinary 11-week run at No. 1 on Aug. 12, 1956.
Presley recorded both songs on July 2, 1956, during a session at RCA Victor Studios in New York City. “Any Way You Want Me” was also recorded that day.
According to the book "Elvis Day by Day: The Definitive Record of His Life and Music" by Peter Guralnick and Ernst Jorgensen, Elvis went through 28 takes of “Don’t Be Cruel” before he was satisfied and then worked through 31 takes of “Hound Dog.” Scotty Moore played lead guitar, Bill Black was on bass, D.J. Fontana played drums and the Jordanaires provided backing vocals.
“Hound Dog,” meanwhile, had a history long before Presley got near it. Famed songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote the song for Big Mama Thornton, whose 1953 recording spent seven weeks atop Billboard's R&B chart.
‘Don’t Be Cruel’ and ‘Hound Dog’ Spent a Record 11 Weeks at No. 1
RCA released “Don’t Be Cruel” backed with “Hound Dog” on July 13, 1956. “Hound Dog” initially raced up the pop chart, but “Don’t Be Cruel” soon joined it at the top, while also reaching No. 1 on the country and R&B charts.
In "The Billboard Book of Number One Hits,"music historian Fred Bronson noted that Presley's “Don’t Be Cruel”/“Hound Dog” stretch at the top of the charts was longer than any other record in the rock era at the time the book was published. The record stood until Boyz II Men's 1992 smash hit "End of the Road."
The appeal wasn't merely commercial.
“Hound Dog” was the snarling counterpart to that relaxed performance. The song had already become controversial after Presley's June 5 appearance on The Milton Berle Show, when his hip movements caused an uproar and helped turn the performance into a defining moment in his rapid ascent.
Seventy years after their record-setting run began, it's even more remarkable that two songs so closely associated with Presley's breakthrough were created, at least as Presley recordings, just hours apart.
Related: Elvis' Leading Lady in Two Hit Movies Dies at 87
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