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"Jailhouse Rock" is a song written by Leiber and Stoller that first became a hit for Elvis Presley. The song was first released as a 45rpm single on September 24, 1957, to coincide with the release of Presley's motion picture, Jailhouse Rock. Composer Mike Stoller can be seen playing piano in the film presentation of the song.

The single, with its B-side "Treat Me Nice", was a US #1 hit for 7 weeks in the fall of 1957, and a UK #1 hit for three weeks early in 1958. The song, which is an example of simple verse form, eventually sold two million copies in the US, thus earning a Double Platinum certification by the RIAA.

Also in 1957, "Jailhouse Rock" was the lead song in a EP (extended play single), together with other Leiber and Stoller compositions, namely "Young and Beautiful", "I Want to be Free", "Don't Leave Me Now", and "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care". It topped the Billboard EP charts, eventually selling an additional two million copies and earning another double-platinum RIAA certification.

About the Song

Some of the characters named in the song are real people. Shifty Henry was a well known LA musician (and not a convict). The Purple Gang was a real mob, not a rhythm section. "Bugsy" was probably Bugsy Siegel, the Jewish gangster.

"Sad Sack" was a World War II US army nickname for a loser, and a popular comic strip.

The song was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

As noted by Rolling Stone magazine (which later ranked the song #67 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time), there are parts of the lyrics that may represent talk about homosexual relationships between inmates:

(Jerry Leiber — Mike Stoller)

The warden threw a party in the county jail.
The prison band was there and they began to wail.
The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing.
You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing.
Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone,
Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone.
The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang,
the whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang.
Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

Number forty-seven said to number three:
"You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
I sure would be delighted with your company,
come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me."
Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

The sad sack was a sittin' on a block of stone
way over in the corner weepin' all alone.
The warden said, "Hey, buddy, don't you be no square.
If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair."
Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

Shifty Henry said to Bugs, "For Heaven's sake,
no one's lookin', now's our chance to make a break."
Bugsy turned to Shifty and he said, "Nix nix,
I wanna stick around a while and get my kicks."
Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

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