King Creole
King Creole is a 1958 American musical drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, and Walter Matthau. Produced by Hal B. Wallis and based on the 1952 novel A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins, the film is about a nineteen-year-old who gets mixed up with crooks and involved with two women.
Presley later indicated that of all the characters he portrayed throughout his acting career, the role of Danny Fisher in King Creole was his favorite. To make the film, Presley was granted a 60-day deferment from January to March 1958 for beginning his military service. Location shooting in New Orleans was delayed several times by crowds of fans attracted by the stars, particularly Presley.
The film was released by Paramount Pictures on July 2, 1958, to both critical and commercial success. The critics were unanimous in their praise of Presley's performance. King Creole peaked at number five on the Variety box office earnings charts.
The soundtrack song "Hard-Headed Woman" reached number one on the Billboard pop singles chart, number two on the R&B chart, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while the soundtrack album peaked at number two on the Billboard album chart.
King Creole (song)
King Creole is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The song was and performed by Elvis Presley and recorded in 1958, and laid foundations to a musical drama film, King Creole. The song is based on King Creole, a Cajun guitar player from New Orleans who is proficient in all different styles of Rock-and-Roll.
Content
The song is about a man of Creole descent who is a freelancing street performer in New Orleans. The man in the song, who goes by the nickname of King Creole, is known for his style of solo guitar playing. It is said in the song that he "holds his guitar like a Tommy gun", which gives the notion that "King Creole" used a grip on his guitar which involved keeping the body of the guitar close to his center of his chest, therefore holding the neck of the guitar in an extended arm, though no information is given which arm he used. It can be inferred from the song that King Creole used an electric guitar, since the song mentions string bending and rock-and-roll, a genre not usually played as lead on the acoustic guitar. The song also states that King Creole played from a well-rounded song repertoire, and would play light, dark, serious, and nonsense music.
King Creole (Christer Sjögren album)
King Creole is an album by Christer Sjögren, released 15 February 2006. The albums consists of recordings of songs previously recorded by Elvis Presley.
Track listing
Contributors
Charts
References
External links
Podcasts:
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by Elvis Presley
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by Shakin' Stevens
King Creole
by: Elvis PresleyKing Creole, go
There's a man in New Orleans who plays rock and roll
He's a guitar man with a great big soul
And he lays down a beat like a ton of coal
He goes by the name of King Creole
You know he's gone, gone, gone
Jumpin' like a catfish on a pole, yeah
You know he's gone, gone, gone
And hip shaking King Creole
When the King starts to do it it's as good as done
He holds his guitar like a tommy gun
He starts to growl from way down his throat
He bends a string and that's all she wrote
You know he's gone, gone, gone
Jumpin' like a catfish on a pole
You know he's gone, gone, gone
And hip shaking King Creole
He sings a song about a crowded hole
He sings a song about a jelly roll
He sings a song about pork and greens
He sings some blues about New Orleans
You know he's gone, gone, gone
Jumpin' like a catfish on a pole, yeah
You know he's gone, gone, gone
And hip shaking King Creole
He plays something evil then he plays something sweet
No matter how he plays you got to get up on your feet
And when he gets the rockin' fever baby, heaven sakes
He don't stop playin' 'til his guitar breaks
You know he's gone, gone, gone
Jumpin' like a catfish on a pole, yeah
You know he's gone, gone, gone
And hip shaking King Creole
You know he's gone, gone, gone