All Shook Up

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Lore & Background

Otis Blackwell wrote the song at the offices of Shalimar Music in 1956 after Al Stanton, one of Shalimar's owners, shaking a bottle of Pepsi at the time, suggested he write a song based on the phrase "all shook up." According to Peter Guralnick's book Last Train to Memphis, Elvis Presley thought "All Shook Up" was a good phrase for a refrain, and for this he received a co-writing credit. Presley himself, during an interview on October 28, 1957, said: "I've never even had an idea for a song. Just once, maybe. I went to bed one night, had quite a dream, and woke up all shook up. I phoned a pal and told him about it. By morning, he had a new song, 'All Shook Up'." Future The Last House on the Left actor David Hess, using the stage name David Hill, recorded a different song titled "I'm All Shook Up" on Aladdin Records—this is not the same composition as "All Shook Up" by Otis Blackwell. In a 2009 interview, Hess claimed to come up with the title: "As far as 'All Shook Up', the title came from a real set of circumstances and when I decided not to write it, Otis Blackwell did and I had the first recording for Aladdin Records. It was my title, but Otis wrote the song and Presley took a writing credit in order to get him to record it." Vicki Young recorded a different song with the same title, "(I'm) All Shook Up", on Capitol Records with Big Dave and His Orchestra, written by Bill Bellman and Hal Blaine in 1956.

In Their Own Story

On January 12, 1957, Presley recorded the song at Radio Recorders in Hollywood. The duet vocal on the record is by the Jordanaires first tenor Gordon Stoker. Take 10 was selected for release, and in March the song entered the Billboard Top 100 chart at No. 25. Within three weeks it had knocked Perry Como's "Round and Round" off the top spot, and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks. The song also became Presley's first No. 1 hit on the UK Singles Chart, remaining there for seven weeks. Sales of the single exceeded two million, and the song was named Billboard's Year End number one song for 1957.

Reader's Guide

The Blue Moon Boys on the recording: Elvis Presley – lead vocals, percussion; Scotty Moore – lead guitar; Bill Black – double bass; D. J. Fontana – drums. The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker – harmony and backing vocals; Hoyt Hawkins – backing vocals, piano; Neal Matthews, Hugh Jarrett – backing vocals. The Beatles (first as the Quarrymen) regularly performed the song from 1957 through 1960 with Paul McCartney on lead vocal. In 1999, McCartney cut a hard-rocking version on the album Run Devil Run, while his surviving Quarrymen bandmates recorded it in 2004 on Songs We Remember. Billy Joel recorded the song in 1991 for the movie Honeymoon in Vegas; it peaked at No. 92 in the US and No. 27 in the UK. Suzi Quatro recorded the song for her debut solo album Suzi Quatro in 1973; her recording was released as a single in 1974 and peaked at number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100. Presley invited Quatro to Graceland, commenting that her version was the best since the original. A version by English DJ and producer Adamski titled "The Space Jungle" was released in 1990 on the album Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy and peaked in the top 10 of the Finnish and UK charts, as well as on the U.S. Billboard dance chart at No. 8. The Jeff Beck Group recorded the song for their 1969 studio album, Beck-Ola, featuring Rod Stewart on vocals.

Did You Know?

• The song was named Billboard's Year End number one song for 1957.
• It became Presley's first No. 1 hit on the UK Singles Chart, remaining there for seven weeks.
• David Hess, using the stage name David Hill, recorded a different song titled "I'm All Shook Up" on Aladdin Records—it is not the same composition as 'All Shook Up' by Otis Blackwell.
• Vicki Young recorded a different song with the same title, "(I'm) All Shook Up", on Capitol Records in 1956, written by Bill Bellman and Hal Blaine.
• The Beatles (first as the Quarrymen) regularly performed the song from 1957 through 1960 with Paul McCartney on lead vocal.