Her introduction to music, as with most fellow blues legends, started in the Baptist church. The daughter of a minister, she and her six siblings began to sing at a very early age. While still a child, Willie Mae taught herself to play the drums and harmonica, and by the age of 14, she had run away from home to make her career in secular music.
She joined Sammy Green's "Hot Harlem Revue" and toured throughout the South in the 1940's, first beginning her musical career in 1947. While touring Texas in 1948, Thornton left the Revue in favor of the state's growing club scene, which she immersed herself in. It was during this time that she was discovered by Don Robey, a black entrepreneur who owned several clubs and record stores in the Houston, TX area. Impressed by her massive size (6 ft, 350+ lb),formidable multi-instrument abilities, and fiery stage presence, Robey signed her to his Peacock Records label, where he began the task of translating the forceful belter's energy onto record.
Her big hit came, not from Robey's capable pen, but from the young songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was "Hound Dog," which she recorded in 1952 with the Johnny Otis band and released in February 1953. Big Mama Thornton always claimed to have written the song herself (a claim which may actually hold some validity), and her ferocious rendition of it ( complete with Big Mama's growl and a nasty guitar line by Pete Lewis) held the #1 spot in the Billboard rhythm and blues charts for nine weeks. Unfortunately for Thornton, Elvis Presley's smoother and bowdlerized version was a major pop hit in 1956 and successfully eclipsed her biggest claim to fame.
Thornton continued to tour the "chitlin' circuit" as fans began to favour newer R&B sounds over blues. For some years, Big Mama suffered in obscurity like most of her fellow bluesmen. Her name gained wider prominence and her career enjoyed a significant resurgence as her song "Ball and Chain" was covered by Janis Joplin, making it a regular number in her repertoire. From that point onward, Thornton would remain a headliner at blues festivals, colleges, and clubs throughout the country and even in Europe. She began recording again, and released albums for the Arhoolie, Mercury, and Vanguard labels. Years of hard drinking and living began to take their toll, however, and by the late 1970s her health (and her trademark girth) had declined greatly. She nevertheless performed until her death at the age of 57 on July 25, 1984 in Los Angeles, where she was found dead from natural causes in the boarding house room in which she had been living. Johnny Otis conducted her funeral services, and she was laid to rest in Inglewood Park Cemetery.
Hound Dog
Big Mama Thornton Lyrics
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Been snoopin' 'round the door
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin' 'round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain't gonna feed you no more
You told me you was high-class
But I could see through that
Yes, you told me you was high-class
But I could see through that
And daddy, I know
You ain't no real cool cat
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin' 'round the door
You're just an old hound dog
Been snoopin' 'round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain't gonna feed you no more, oh play it on Sam, oh!
Aw, listen to that there old hound dog
Oh, play it, it s'all right in here
Oh, listen to that there old hound dog holler
Oh, play it boy, play it
Oh, you make me feel good
Oh, do the mess around right now, yeah
Now wag your tail
Oh, get it now
Oh, get it now, get it, get it, get it
Oh, go, holler boy
You made me feel so blue
You made me weep and moan
You made me feel so blue
Well you made me weep and moan
'Cause you ain't looking for a woman
All you lookin' is for a home
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
Quit snoopin' 'round the door
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
Quit snoopin' 'round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain't gonna feed you no more, oh!
In the song Hound Dog, Big Mama Thornton sings about a man who is nothing more than a hound dog, snoopin' around her door. She compares him to a dog and tells him that she won't feed him anymore. The use of the metaphor is quite apparent in this song, and Thornton uses it to describe the man's behavior as being dog-like. She tells him that he has been snoopin' around her door, implying that he is nosy and overstepping his boundaries.
The lyrics suggest that the man has been lying to her, telling her that he is high-class, but Thornton can see through it. She knows that he is not a real cool cat, and she is not interested in him. She further accuses him of not looking for a woman but instead is searching for a home. She is tired of his behavior and tells him to stop snoopin' around her door.
Line by Line Meaning
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
You are nothing but a sly and deceitful person who cannot be trusted.
Been snoopin' 'round the door
You have been secretly spying and snooping around my house.
You can wag your tail
You may try to flatter me, but
But I ain't gonna feed you no more
I'm not going to give in to your manipulations and deceit anymore.
You told me you was high-class
You claimed to be of high social status and sophistication,
But I could see through that
But I saw right through your lies and false pretenses.
And daddy, I know
And I'm aware of the truth,
You ain't no real cool cat
That you are not nearly as charming or impressive as you pretend to be.
You're just an old hound dog
You are just a persistent and annoying pest,
Aw, listen to that there old hound dog
Listen to that annoying and persistent creature,
Oh, you make me feel good
In a sarcastic tone – Oh yes, of course you do make me feel good! (not really)
You made me feel so blue
You caused me great sadness and depression,
Well you made me weep and moan
Which has led me to cry and be in pain for a long time.
All you lookin' is for a home
You are not really interested in finding a loving partner, you are just looking for a place to live at my expense.
Quit snoopin' 'round the door
Stop going around my house trying to peek in and spy on me like a dog.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind