Guy is known for his showmanship; for example, he plays with drumsticks and walks into the audience whilst playing, the latter being a gimmick he picked up from a local blues guitarist at an early age (joining or leaping into the audience has also long been common in both American popular and gospel music, as in the earlier work of Big Jay McNeely or the Dixie Hummingbirds).
Guy grew up in Louisiana where he learned to play guitar. In the early 1950s he began performing with bands in Baton Rouge. Soon after moving to Chicago in 1957, Guy fell under the influence of "Mighty" Muddy Waters. In 1958 he won a record contract with Artistic Records after beating the West Side guitarists Magic Sam and Otis Rush in a "Head Cutting Contest" at the Blue Flame Club. Soon afterwards he recorded for the Cobra label.
In the early 1960s, Guy was a session guitarist for Chess Records. He recorded on Junior Wells sessions for Delmark Records under the pseudonym Friendly Chap in 1965 and 1966. His career took off during a blues revival period in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was sparked by Eric Clapton's request that Guy be part of the '24 nights' all-star blues guitar lineup at London's Royal Albert Hall and Guy's subsequent signing with Silvertone Records.
Hound Dog
Buddy Guy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Been snoopin' 'round my door
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
Told you were high class
Told me you were high class
But I could see through that
Daddy I know
You ain't no real cool cat
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin' 'round my door
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 babe, you
Oh yeah
Make you feel so good
Made me feel so blue
Made me weep and moan
Made me feel so blue
Honey, you made me weep and moan
You ain't looking for a woman
All you're lookin' is for a home
Ain't nothing but a hound dog
Been snoopin' 'round my door
Just an old hound dog
Been snoopin' 'round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain't gonna feed you no more
And bow-wow to you too, honey
I would like to say thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen
The lyrics of Buddy Guy's “Hound Dog” song depict a man who has been played and deceived by a woman, whom he describes as nothing but a hound dog. He accuses her of snoopin’ around his door, trying to gain access to his life and resources. He insists that she might wag her tail all she wants, but he won't be feeding her any longer.
As the lyrics continue, the man reveals that he was misled into thinking the woman was high class when in reality, she was not. He could see through the façade, and he refers to her as a ‘daddy’ but no ‘real cool cat’. The song clearly points out the woman's deceitful behavior and how it caused the man to feel blue, weep, and moan.
Overall, “Hound Dog” is a song of betrayal and disappointment, delivering a message that one needs to be careful not to fall for someone who only wants something from them without offering anything in return. Buddy Guy tells a compelling story through his music, which is relatable to many people who have gone through similar experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
You ain't nothing but a hound dog
You're just a low-life, untrustworthy person
Been snoopin' 'round my door
You've been spying on me and invading my personal space
Ain't nothing but a hound dog
You really have no redeeming qualities
You can wag your tail
You can try to be charming
But I ain't gonna feed you no more
But I won't fall for your manipulations anymore
Told you were high class
You tried to convince me that you were classy
I could see through that
But I saw right through your façade
Daddy I know
I know for a fact
You ain't no real cool cat
You're not as suave as you think you are
Just an old hound dog
You're just an untrustworthy person, plain and simple
Oh babe, you
You, my dear
Make you feel so good
Make me feel great
Made me feel so blue
But then you brought me down and made me feel miserable
Made me weep and moan
You made me cry and complain
Honey, you made me weep and moan
You, my dear, are the reason I'm upset
You ain't looking for a woman
You're not interested in a real, meaningful relationship
All you're lookin' is for a home
You're just looking for someone to take care of you and give you a place to stay
And bow-wow to you too, honey
And I'll be darned if I'm going to put up with your nonsense anymore
I would like to say thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen
And finally, I'd like to express my gratitude to all of you for listening
Writer(s): Hound Dog Taylor
Contributed by Nora L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@markr8326
The idea Thornton is "unsung" due to being Black is debateable. She might have been obscured when Rock'n'Roll took off, but in the same way Grand Ole Opry /Bluegrass artists Bill Monroe was also. Blues/Country were kicked to the curb. In the same way Rock'n'Roll artists were when the Beatles & Motown took off.
Both Black Blues & "white" Country were nich genres played on Roots R&B radio & Grand Ole Opry(for eg) neither not promoted Nationwide let alone Worldwide. Rock'n'Roll was promoted & exported(pretty much) Globally.
Can you name Black RnR artists that were household names ? YES, we all can. Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Frankie Lymon, Ruth Brown, The Platters, Jackie Wilson . They all left the Blues artists like Mama Thornton behind as they're stars rose to fame in movies ,tours, & mainstream promotion.
Presley didn't "steal" Hound Dog, Thornton didn't own the rights ,publishing , co/songwriting ,nothing. Lieber & Stoller did. They could/Should have given Her some share to keep the record earning a bit for Her, but ,they didn't.
Presley heard Freddie Bell perform the son ,in Vegas, in 1956 ,4 yrs after Thornton had already had an R&B hit with it.
Mama Thornton's vocals were incredible. She inspired generations even though She was Black & Female, obviously both went against Her at that time in History.
Presley's record was more MUSICALLY interesting as well as having a good vocal ,but it was not based off or "stolen" from Thornton's version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buAS_P0ly3g
Musical analysis applied(at last) (6” 10 & 6”40)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ar987nJ-dI
@patricialindsey2618
When I was a child in the early 50s my father was a disc jockey. The stations only played the white versions of the records so he brought the black ones home to me for my little record player. I was raised with her version more than elvis. There were many black artists who never got air play at all. I love that I can find at least some today on you tube.
@MsReddVelvet4207
DAMN SHE WAS AMAZING JUST AMAZING!!!!! ABSOLUTELY LOVE HER🙏💖💖💖
@dariusmosley3240
Big mama Thornton ,I was not ready for that growl but you nail it the best belter blues singer .
@iVenge
Empress. No one better.
@pgroove163
knocked it out the park
@maisonderetraite13
Thank you very Much, Very good
@charalampostseronis6500
Out of this world
@peter38037
The best blues singer
@jeffreyedano5892
yes indeed!!!
@silvanasperoni5470
Che musica che spettacolo grandissimi