Jailhouse Rock

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Lore & Background

Unlike Loving You (1957) but like Love Me Tender (1956), a full long-playing album soundtrack was not devised for Jailhouse Rock. The title song "Jailhouse Rock" had already been released as a single on September 24, 1957, and went to #1 on the singles chart. The sixth soundtrack song "Treat Me Nice" was not included on the EP; a new recording from September 5 at Radio Recorders was instead placed as the B-side to the "Jailhouse Rock" single where it peaked at #18 on the singles chart independently. The writing and production team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller played prominent roles in the making of the soundtrack, writing four of its songs and working closely with Presley in the studio. Other than both sides of the single and "I Want to Be Free", the fourth song by the pair "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" became a minor standard, receiving cover versions by Cliff Richard, Joni Mitchell, and Brian Setzer. "Don't Leave Me Now" was recorded for Jailhouse Rock and first released on this EP; it did not appear on the Loving You album. Additional original music for the film was composed by producer Jeff Alexander, and the song sung by the Hunk Houghton character, "One Day", was by Roy C. Bennett and Sid Tepper.

In Their Own Story

Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood on April 30 and May 3, 1957, with an additional session at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Soundstage in Hollywood on May 9 for "Don't Leave Me Now". The Blue Moon Boys—Elvis Presley on vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar, and electric bass on "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care"; Scotty Moore on electric lead guitar; Bill Black on double bass and electric bass; and D. J. Fontana on drums—provided the core sound. The Jordanaires—Gordon Stoker, Neal Matthews, Hoyt Hawkins, and Hugh Jarrett—added backing vocals. Dudley Brooks played piano, and Mike Stoller played piano on "I Want to Be Free" and assisted with production. Thorne Nogar engineered "Jailhouse Rock", "Young and Beautiful", "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care", and "I Want to Be Free"; Fred Mulculpin engineered "Don't Leave Me Now". Producer Jeffrey Alexander oversaw the project, with Jerry Leiber also providing production assistance.

Reader's Guide

The EP peaked at #1 on the newly inaugurated Billboard EP chart where it remained at #1 for 28 weeks. The EP album was the best selling EP album of 1958 according to Billboard. All five songs from the EP are available on The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters released in 1992. On April 15, 1997, RCA released a compact disc comprising versions appearing in the feature film and versions that had been commercially released on records of the songs from both Jailhouse Rock and Presley's first movie, Love Me Tender. Three tracks were previously unreleased alternate takes, along with two newly mixed stereo versions of "Love Me Tender" and "Poor Boy".

Did You Know?

• The EP peaked at #1 on the newly inaugurated Billboard EP chart and stayed there for 7 weeks.
• Billboard named it the best selling EP album of 1957.
• The title song 'Jailhouse Rock' was released as a single on September 24, 1957, and went to #1 on the singles chart.
• The song '(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care' became a minor standard, covered by Cliff Richard, Joni Mitchell, and Brian Setzer.
• The 1997 CD reissue included three previously unreleased alternate takes and two newly mixed stereo versions.

Chart Domination and Commercial Success

The EP peaked at #1 on the newly inaugurated Billboard EP chart where it remained at #1 for 28 weeks. The EP album was the best selling EP album of 1958 according to Billboard.

Songwriting Collaborations and Musical Content

The writing and production team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller played prominent roles in the making of the soundtrack, writing four of its songs and working closely with Presley in the studio. Other than both sides of the single and "I Want to Be Free", the fourth song by the pair "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" became a minor standard, receiving cover versions by Buddy Holly, Cliff Richard, Joni Mitchell, and Brian Setzer. "Don't Leave Me Now" had also appeared on the Loving You (1957) album, but in a different version from an earlier set of recording sessions. Additional original music for the film was composed by producer Jeff Alexander, and the song sung by the Hunk Houghton character, "One Day", was by Roy C. Bennett and Sid Tepper.

Studio Personnel and Performance Dynamics

The Blue Moon Boys: Elvis Presley – vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar, electric bass on "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care"; Scotty Moore – electric lead guitar; Bill Black – double bass, electric bass; D. J. Fontana – drums. The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker – backing vocals; Neal Matthews – backing vocals, double bass (uncertain); Hoyt Hawkins – backing vocals; Hugh Jarrett – backing vocals. Additional musicians: Dudley Brooks – piano; Mike Stoller – piano on "I Want to Be Free", production assistance. Jeffrey Alexander - producer; Jerry Leiber - production assistance; Thorne Nogar - engineer ("Jailhouse Rock", "Young and Beautiful", "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care", "I Want to Be Free"); Fred Mulculpin - engineer ("Don't Leave Me Now").

Legacy Through Reissues and Archival Preservation

All five songs from the EP are available on The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters released in 1992. On April 15, 1997, RCA released a compact disc comprising versions appearing in the feature film and versions that had been commercially released on records of the songs from both Jailhouse Rock and Presley's first movie, Love Me Tender. Three tracks were previously unreleased alternate takes, along with two newly mixed stereo versions of "Love Me Tender" and "Poor Boy".