Audio sample from The Ed Sullivan Show of Elvis Presley introducing and performing "Hound Dog"

Kinescope of The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956

• Artist: Elvis Presley
• Songwriters: Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller
• Copyright: NBC

Elvis Presley

30 seconds—20 seconds of spoken introduction spliced with initial 10 seconds of performance (of original broadcast, 48 minutes/of original musical performance, 2:10)

Quality reduced to 45 kbit/s

This is an example of one of the most famous events in television history—one of Elvis Presley's three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. The song of which a portion is heard was then at number one on the Billboard chart. The sample demonstrates Presley's sense of humor, for which his live performances were known; his nonsinging Mississippi/Tennessee accent; and the highly influential early rock and roll style of his rendition of "Hound Dog". The sample presents the first 20 seconds of a humorous introduction that lasted approximately twice as long (much of the remainder consisted of pregnant pauses and deliberate, jocular false starts of lesser informative value in a purely audio context) and the first 10 seconds of Presley's performance of the song. Words alone are inadequate to describe the tone of the Presley's humor and its contrast with the powerful sound of the song. In addition, presenting the sound of this song alongside ones from earlier and later in Presley's career is necessary for a complete understanding of its nature and its contrast with material from other periods, and hence of the way Presley's music evolved and his aesthetic reach expanded over the course of his career. Additionally, this song is historically significant, as described at numerous points in the article.

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