Don't Be Cruel

One of Elvis Presley's most famous songs, "Don't Be Cruel" is a heartache/love song that doesn't take itself too seriously. It starts out with Elvis begging the girl to at least call him on the phone if she's going to leave him home alone. By the end of the song, he's proposing marriage, insisting he'll love her forever. Because he loves her dearly, he feels he's entitled to her affections. "Don't be cruel to who a heart that's true," he tells her.

This was written by Otis Blackwell, a songwriter who came up with a lot of hits for Elvis. In addition to "Don't Be Cruel," he also wrote "Return To Sender," "All Shook Up," and "One Broken Heart for Sale" for Elvis. He also wrote "Fever," which was made famous by Peggy Lee, and "Great Balls of Fire" for Jerry Lee Lewis. Blackwell died in 2002 at age 70.

On Christmas Eve 1955, Otis Blackwell found himself on the streets in front of the Brill Building in New York City trying to stay warm and sell some songs. Things weren't going well for Blackwell - it was raining and there were leaks in the soles of his shoes. His friend Leroy Kirkland walked by and asked Otis if he had written any songs. Otis said yes, and over the next week, he sold six of them, including "Don't Be Cruel," to the publishing company Shalimar Music for $25 each. Blackwell recorded demos of these songs and Shalimar pitched them to Elvis. On July 2, 1956, Elvis recorded "Hound Dog" at RCA Studios in New York City. They needed a flip side to the single, so Elvis and his team listened to some demos in the studio. When they came across "Don't Be Cruel," Elvis decided they should record it. He and the band spent about 20 minutes learning the song, then recorded it, with Presley hewing closely to Blackwell's demo. When they were done, it was clear "Don't Be Cruel" deserved better than B-side status, so they released it as an A-side with "Hound Dog." Presley wasn't super-famous yet, but already had two #1 hits: "Heartbreak Hotel" and "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You." For Blackwell, it was a huge payday because he earned royalties from the song, although he had to split them with Elvis, whose manager, Colonel Tom Parker, insisted that Elvis get half the publishing on any song he recorded.