"Rock-A-Hula Baby
("Twist" Special)" is a 1961 song recorded by
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
and performed in the 1961 film ''
Blue Hawaii''. The song was also released as a single.
Background
The song was recorded on March 23, 1961 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California. The RCA Victor 45 single was released on October 1, 1961.
Steve Sholes
Stephen Henry Sholes (February 12, 1911 – April 22, 1968) was a prominent American recording executive with RCA Victor.
Career
Sholes was born in Washington, D.C. and moved with his family to Merchantville, New Jersey, at the age of nin ...
produced the studio recording session.
The Jordanaires
The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. Over the years, they recorded both sacred and secular music for recording companies such as Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Vocal ...
provided the backing vocals.
The song was published by Gladys Music, Inc., Elvis Presley's publishing company. It was written by
Ben Weisman
Benjamin Weisman (November 16, 1921 – May 20, 2007) was an American composer. He wrote 57 songs recorded by Elvis Presley, more than any other songwriter.
Biography
Weisman was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and grew up in Brooklyn, New Yor ...
,
Fred Wise, and
Dolores Fuller
Dolores Agnes Fuller ( Eble, later Chamberlin; March 10, 1923 – May 9, 2011) was an American actress and songwriter best known as the one-time girlfriend of the low-budget film director Ed Wood. She played the protagonist's girlfriend in ' ...
,
it is a
genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
mix of
Hawaiian folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
and
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
. It was the first song published by Fuller, who would eventually co-write a dozen songs for Presley.
The title song of the 1991 film ''
Rock-a-Doodle'', which featured Elvis Presley's original backing vocal group The Jordanaires, parodied "Rock-a-Hula Baby".
Charts
"Rock-A-Hula Baby" peaked at No. 23 in the U.S. on the ''Billboard'' pop singles chart, No. 1 in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, No. 4 in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, and No. 1 in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. In the United Kingdom (UK), where it was a
double A-sided
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
release with "
Can't Help Falling in Love", it peaked at No. 1 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in February 1962, and spent four weeks at the chart summit.
When re-released in March 2005, it reached No. 3 in the UK in a four-week chart run.
Other recordings
Paul Rich
Paul Rich (20 August 1921 – 23 February 2000) was a singer and guitarist, recording many songs with Lou Preager's band. He later became a music publisher.
Life
Rich was born in London in 1921, son of immigrants from Russia. He studied guitar w ...
, Werner Müller and The London Festival Orchestra & Chorus, Tulsa McLean,
Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Stourbridge in the West Midlands of England with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a grebo act, they changed style to incorpor ...
, Martin Fontaine, Stephen Collins, Terry Buchwald, and Steven Pitman have also recorded the song.
Rock-A-Hula Baby. Second Hand Songs.
/ref>
References
{{Authority control
Songs about rock music
Twist (dance)
Elvis Presley songs
1961 singles
UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Songs with music by Ben Weisman
Songs with lyrics by Fred Wise (songwriter)
Songs written by Dolores Fuller
Songs written for films
Songs about dancing
1961 songs