Video hit Elvis Presley (live, 1956)

Elvis Presley - Don't Be Cruel

"Don't Be Cruel" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Otis Blackwell in 1956.

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.

Recording

"Don't Be Cruel" was the first song that Presley's song publishers, Hill and Range, brought to him to record.

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".

Freddy Bienstock, Elvis' Music Publisher, gave the following explanation for why Elvis received co-writing credit for songs like Don't Be Cruel.

"In the early days Elvis would show dissatisfaction with some lines and he would make alterations, so it wasn't just what is known as a 'cut-in'. His name did not appear after the first year.

But if Elvis liked the song, the writers would be offered a guarantee of a million records and they would surrender a third of their royalties to Elvis'."

Presley recorded the song on July 2, 1956 during an exhaustive recording session at RCA studios in New York City. During this session he also recorded "Hound Dog", and "Any Way You Want Me".

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. He also ran through 31 takes of "Hound Dog".

Release

The single was released on July 13, 1956 backed with "Hound Dog".

Within a few weeks "Hound Dog" had risen to #2 on the Pop charts with sales of over one million.

Soon after it was overtaken by "Don't Be Cruel" which took #1 on all three main charts; Pop, Country, and R 'n' B.
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 from late 1950 onward 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. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1956.

Presley performed "Don't Be Cruel" during all three of his appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in September 1956 and January 1957.

The lyrics:

You know I can be found, sittin' home all alone

If you can't come around, at least please telephone

Don't be cruel to a heart that's true

Baby, if I made you mad for somethin' I might've said

Please, let's forget the past, the future looks bright ahead

Don't be cruel to a heart that's true

I don't want no other love, baby, it's just you I'm thinkin' of

Hmm, don't stop thinkin' of me, don't make me feel this way

Come on over here and love me, you know what I want you to say

Don't be cruel to a heart that's true

Why should we be apart, I really love you, baby, cross my heart

Let's walk up to the preacher and let us say, "I do"

Then you'll know you'll have me, and I'll know that I'll have you

Don't be cruel to a heart that's true

I don't want no other love, baby, it's just you I'm thinkin' of

Don't be cruel to a heart that's true

Don't be cruel to a heart that's true

I don't want no other love

Baby, it's just you I, I'm thinkin' of