"Do The Clam" is a pop 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 " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

for his 1965 feature film '' Girl Happy''. It was written by Sid Wayne,

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 ...

, and Dolores Fuller.

Chart History

''Do The Clam'' was released worldwide as a single by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

, reaching no. 21 on ''Billboard'' in the United States, no. 15 on the ''Record World'' chart, no. 16 in Canada and the American Cashbox charts, and no. 19 in the UK. It was very successful in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, where it reached no. 4 on the charts. It has appeared on six compilation albums of Elvis Presley's recordings. Co-writer Dolores Fuller was a songwriter and actress who had played the role as the title character's girlfriend in

Ed Wood Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novel author. In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult cla ...

's 1953 surrealist film, ''

Glen or Glenda ''Glen or Glenda'' is a 1953 American exploitation film directed, written by and starring Ed Wood (credited in his starring role as "Daniel Davis"), and featuring Wood's then-girlfriend Dolores Fuller and Bela Lugosi. It was produced by George W ...

''. The song was copyrighted on February 4, 1965, and published by Gladys Music, Inc.Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1967.
/ref> The B side of the 1965 single release was "

You'll Be Gone "You'll Be Gone" is a song co-written by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music and released in 1965 on the ''Girl Happy'' soundtrack album and as a 45 single. The song was recorded in 1962 and was one of very few which Presley was inv ...

", written by Red West, Elvis Presley, and Charlie Hodge in 1962. The B side reached no. 121 on ''Billboard'' and no. 35 on the Canadian charts. Both songs were on the Girl Happy soundtrack album."You'll Be Gone" was an attempt to create the same kind of song as ''

Begin the Beguine "Begin the Beguine" is a popular song written by Cole Porter. Porter composed the song between Kalabahi, Indonesia, and Fiji during a 1935 Pacific cruise aboard Cunard's ocean liner ''Franconia''. In October 1935, it was introduced by June Kni ...

'' after Elvis Presley's Management Team failed to obtain the rights to cover the song. "You'll Be Gone" is one of the songs for which Elvis Presley got a co-writer credit. (Another Elvis Presley composition is "

That's Someone You Never Forget "That's Someone You Never Forget" is a song co-written by Elvis Presley in 1961 and published by Elvis Presley Music, which appeared as the closing track on his 1962 album ''Pot Luck (Elvis Presley album), Pot Luck'' and was released as a single i ...

", written with Red West in 1961.)

Cover Versions

The song was featured on the 1965 album ''Teen Beat Discotheque'' by Living Guitars.

The Cramps The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. ...

covered the song in their 1987 album Rockin n Reelin in Auckland New Zealand. In 1991 the song was spoofed by Dread Zeppelin in their song "Do The Claw".

Sources

* Jorgensen, Ernst. ''Elvis Presley, A Life In Music''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998;
Jorgensen, Ernst. ''Elvis by the Presleys''. Liner Notes. BMG Heritage, 2005.
* Presley, Priscilla. ''Elvis by the Presleys''. Liner Notes. BMG Heritage, 2005. * Hopkins, Jerry. ''Elvis: A Biography''. NY: Simon and Schuster, 1971. * Victor, Adam. ''The Elvis Encyclopedia''. Overlook Hardcover, 2008.

References

External links

* Review at Allmusic {{authority control 1965 singles Elvis Presley songs Songs with music by Ben Weisman Songs written by Sid Wayne Songs written by Dolores Fuller 1965 songs Songs written for films