Song analysis

Presley's version of hound dog is much more up-beat and faster. Repetition of lyrics and steady bassline help the song to sound more catchy and easier to sing along to than BMT's release. The song has a very steady beat in a 4/4 time signature and to add to its simplicity, the band for the original recording consisted of just four instruments (including vocals) and made use of the classic 12-bar blues chord progression. The most complex section of this song would probably be either the guitar solo or the short sections of three-part harmony throughout the song.

BMT released her version, the original version, of Hound Dog 4 years before Elvis did. Her release of the song was a much more powerful and emotional performance through a considerable amount raspy vocals and an incredibly commanding tone of voice. Despite very short, simple lyrics, they convey a powerful message between BMT and the listener about her emotions towards the 'hound dog'. The swing feel of the rhythm adds a further layer of complexity to the song and nicely complements the occasional 'call and response' style dialogue between the vocalist and the guitarist. These guitar responses, like the rest of the song, follow the classic 12 bar blues chord progression, similarly to Elvis' version. The bands of the two releases of 'Hound Dog' had a very similar instrumental setup, with the addition of a jazzy piano part featured in BMT's song.