Throughout his childhood, he listened to country on the radio, enjoyed singing gospel for the local church, and began taking guitar lessons in the beginning of elementary school. His passion for music was an important factor in his childhood and he received his first guitar for his 11th birthday, which led to his increased want to peruse musical based career choices ("1935"). Around the age of 13, in 1948, Elvis and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, a city that was full of music from Elvis’ favorite genres, such as blues and jazz. The genres definitely had an impact on his own style of music, as both blues and jazz largely influenced his unique sound of Rock and …show more content…
He performed the same hit songs as before “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Love Me Tender.” Those two hits contain lyrics about love and his deep feelings towards a woman, but now he introduced “Hound Dog.” “Hound Dog” was especially controversial as the lyrics were somewhat harsh, talking about a man who isn’t good for anything and will be kicked to the curb. “Hound Dog” is a clear example of how Elvis was changing the music industry as a whole. Prior to the release of this song he had stuck to prudish songs with tame lyrics, mostly about love and passion. His new song pushed ‘inappropriate’ to a new level, as the lyrics were quite appalling to the older audience. With a snarly voice he begins singing loudly and passionately “You ain't nothin' but a hound dog / Cryin' all the time / Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit / And you ain't no friend of mine / Well they said you was high-classed / Well, that was just a lie-” (Elvis Presley. Hound Dog) The Lyrics repeat throughout the song, but were very extreme and different from any other music at the time, sparking the immense controversy. Again, his performance was packed with all of his daring and scandalous moves, especially his hip thrusts and shaking legs. The crowd consisted mostly of teenage girls who, of course, went wild every time he showed off his dance moves, as