All Shook Up (1957)

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• Elvis Presley - All Shook Up (MP3)

By: Elvis Presley (born Elvis Aron Presley January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi, died August 16, 1977 in Memphis, Tennessee.)

Called the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis is generally considered to be the most important, iconic entertainer of the 20th Century. He has sold over one billion records worldwide, more than anyone in record industry history. He has had 150 albums and singles certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum, 149 charting songs in the US, 114 of which were Top 40 hits, 40 of which were Top 10 hits, and 18 #1 hits.

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #3 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

When Elvis listened to the demo for "All Shook Up", recorded by songwriter Otis Blackwell, he, along with producer Steve Sholes and Colonel Tom Parker, thought it was a hit, so it was scheduled for his next recording session. Sholes said, "What could be a more perfect marriage than a song called 'All Shook Up' and a singer who couldn’t stop shaking when he sang?"

On January 19, 1957 (the same day he recorded all of the songs on the EP Peace in the Valley, the best selling EP in the history of music,) Elvis recorded "All Shook Up" at the Los Angeles Radio Recorders' studio.

Because he did not read music, Elvis learned the song by listening to the demo over and over again, never looking at the notated lyric sheet.  Therefore, Presley was influenced by Otis Blackwell’s singing style, down to his vocal inflections and word pronunciations.

The final version of "All Shook Up" contains the sound of Elvis slapping the back of his guitar to keep the song at the pace he wanted.  In some places, the slap is the only instrumental sound heard on the recording. 

"All Shook Up" was recorded in 10 takes.

Chart position: #1 (US, 8 weeks), #1 (US Country), #1 (UK, 7 weeks).

"All Shook Up" was Elvis' second-biggest hit in the US (after "Don't Be Cruel"/"Hound Dog").

The Top Ten Songs: April 27, 1957 (US Billboard Hot 100).

1. "All Shook Up" (Elvis Presley)
2. "Round and Round" (Perry Como)
3. "Little Darlin'" (Diamonds)
4. "Butterfly" (Andy Williams)
5. "Party Doll" (Buddy Knox)
6. "Marianne" (Easy Riders)
7. "Why Baby Why?" (Pat Boone)
8. "Come Go With Me" (Del-Vikings)
9. "I'm Walkin'" (Fats Domino)
10. "Gone" (Ferlin Husky)

Written by: Otis Blackwell (born February 6, 1932, died May 6 2002).

Blackwell also wrote "Don't Be Cruel", "Return to Sender", and "One Broken Heart for Sale", all of which were hits for Elvis Presley. Blackwell also wrote "Fever" (Peggy Lee, #8 US) and “Great Balls Of Fire” (Jerry Lee Lewis, #2 US).

Otis Blackwell often joked, "I can write a song about anything." Aaron "Goldie" Goldmark, one of the owners of Shalimar Music (Blackwell's publishing company) constantly brought him off-the-wall ideas, and Otis would always come up with something. One day, Goldmark bought a Pepsi from a vending machine, but before opening it, he dropped the bottle on the floor. Knowing that opening it would mean spraying it everywhere, he walked over and set in in front of Blackwell at his desk and said, "You say you can write about anything. Well, write about this." Blackwell studied the Pepsi for a moment, shaking it and watching the fizz. According to legend, he wrote "All Shook Up" so quickly that the drink was still cold by the time he was finished.

"All Shook Up" is credited to "Otis Blackwell/Elvis Presley", even though Blackwell was the sole songwriter.

Download MP3s from Amazon.com:

• Elvis Presley - All Shook Up (MP3)

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