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Jailhouse Rock

(Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller)


Copyright Jerry Leiber Music/Mike Stoller Music


Soundtrack recording for MGM - Jailhouse Rock - April 30 - May 8, 1957 - Radio recorders - Hollywood

 April 30 - 10 am-1:45 pm - 2:45-6:10 pm

RCA matrix: H2WB 6779-06

RCA matrix: H2WB 6779-02 - Pickup to instrumental

Studio matrix: 2001-06 - RCA matrix: H2WB 6779-sp - Splice of takes 6 & 2
September 24,1957 Single A side RCA 47-7035 Jailhouse Rock / Treat Me Nice
Computer enhanced version:
September 24, 2002 CD RCA BMG 07863 68079-2 Elvis 30 N° 1 Hits
Binaural version:
July 1, 2003 CD RCA BMG 82876 50537-2 Close Up
Outtakes:
Takes 3 and 5: May 05, 2005 CD 82876 67883-2 Elvis By The Presleys
Take 5: January 1988 CD RCA 6738-2-R Essential Elvis
Take 5: November 5, 2001 CD FTD 74321 89294-2 Silver Screen Stereo

Studio matrix: 2001-06 - RCA matrix: H2WB 6780 - Movie version - master of H2WB 6779 with backing vocal overdubbs done for the movie.
January 1988 CD RCA 6738-2-R Essential Elvis
April 22, 1997 CD RCA 07863 67453 2 Jailhouse Rock / Love Me Tender


Re-recording sessions - March 1996 - Signet Sound Studio - Hollywood

 H2WB 6779
February 16, 1998 CD RCA 07863-67458-2 Blue Suede Shoes A Ballet Set To The Music Of Elvis Presley


      Movie version  


Version 1          Version 2          Version 3   

Version 4          Version 5          Version 6   

Version 7          Version 8          Version 9   

Version 10   






The warden threw a party in the county jail
The prison band was there and they began to wail
The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing
You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing
* Let's rock, everybody, let's rock
Everybody in the whole cell block was a dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock


Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone
Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone
The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang
The whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang
* Repeat


Number forty-seven said to number three
You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see
I sure would be delighted with your company
Come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me
* Repeat


The sad sack was a sittin' on a block of stone
Way over in the corner weepin' all alone
The warden said, Hey, buddy, don't you be no square
If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair
* Repeat


Shifty Henry said to Bugs, For Heaven's sake
No one's lookin', now's our chance to make a break
Bugsy turned to Shifty and he said, Nix nix
I wanna stick around a while and get my kicks
* Repeat


Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock 



Tune guitar a half step down (Eb)
Intro: Eb E
eb||-------------------|--------------------||
Bb||------------8------|--9----------------*||
Gb||------------8------|--9-----------------||
Db||------------8------|--9-----------------||
Ab||------------6------|--7----------------*||
Eb||-------------------|--------------------||
Riff 1:
      A7
eb||--------------------------|--------------------------|
Bb||--------------------------|--------------------------|
Gb||--------------------------|--------------------------|
Db||---------------2--2--4--2-|--------------2--2--4--2--|
Ab||--0--0--4--4--------------|--0--0--4--4--------------|
Eb||--------------------------|--------------------------|
      E
eb||--------------------------|--------------------------|
Bb||--------------------------|--------------------------|
Gb||--------------------------|--------------------------|
Db||--------------------------|--------------------------|
Ab||--------------2--2--4--2--|--------------2--2--4--2--|
Eb||--0--0--4--4--------------|--0--0--4--4--------------|
      B7                         A
eb||--------------------------|--------------------------|
Bb||--------------------------|--------------------------|
Gb||--------------------------|--------------------------|
Db||--------------4--4--6--4--|--------------2--2--4--2--|
Ab||--2--2--6--6--------------|--0--0--4--4--------------|
Eb||--------------------------|--------------------------|
      E
eb||--------------------------|-------------------------|
Bb||--------------------------|-------------------------|
Gb||--------------------------|-------------------------|
Db||--------------------------|-------------------------|  Back to Intro
Ab||--------------2--2--4--2--|--------------2--2h-4----|
Eb||--0--0--4--4--------------|--0--0--4--4-------------|
h=hammer on
    (Fill verse with Intro)
        E
    The warden threw a party in the county jail.
        E
    The prison band was there and they began to wail.
        E
    The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing.
        E
    You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing.
        (Riff 1)
        A7                     E
    Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
        B7                     A7
    Everybody in the whole cell block
        E
    was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

    Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone,
    Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone.
    The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang,
    the whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang.
    Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
    Everybody in the whole cell block
    was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.
    Number forty-seven said to number three:
    "You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
    I sure would be delighted with your company,
    come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me."
    Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
    Everybody in the whole cell block
    was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.
    The sad sack was a sittin' on a block of stone
    way over in the corner weepin' all alone.
    The warden said, "Hey, buddy, don't you be no square.
    If you can't find a partner use a wooden chair."
    Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
    Everybody in the whole cell block
    was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.
    Shifty Henry said to Bugs, "For Heaven's sake,
    no one's lookin', now's our chance to make a break."
    Bugsy turned to Shifty and he said, "Nix nix,
    I wanna stick around a while and get my kicks."
    Let's rock, everybody, let's rock.
    Everybody in the whole cell block
    was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.


Bass Jailhouse Rock

 

                                          $
|----------||-----------|-----------||-||-----------|---------|
|------1---||o-2--------|------1---o||-||o-2--------|------1--|
|----------||o----------|----------o||-||o----------|---------|
|----------||-----------|-----------||-||-----------|---------|
                                          Verse      
                                                            To Coda
|----------|----------|----------|----------|--------|---------------||
|-2--------|------1---|-2--------|------1---|-2------|---------------||
|----------|----------|----------|----------|--------|---------------||
|----------|----------|----------|----------|--------|------0--2--3--||
                                                            2  3  4

||-------------|-2-----------|-------------|-------------|----------1--|-------------|
||-------2--4--|----4--2--4--|-------------|-2-----------|----1--4-----|-------2--4--|
||-0--4--------|-------------|-------2--4--|----4--2--4--|-2-----------|-0--4--------|
||-------------|-------------|-0--4--------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
  Chorus
                1. , 2.         3.
|-------------|--------------||--------------||-------------|-0-----------|-------------|
|-------------|-2-------1---o||--2-----------||-------2--4--|----4--2-----|-------------|
|-------2--4--|----4-2------o||-----4--2-----||-0--4--------|----------4--|-------2--4--|
|-0--4--------|--------------||-----------4--||-------------|-------------|-0--4--------|
                                                SOLO

                                                            D.S. al Coda
|-------------|----------1--|-------------|-------------|----------------||
|-2-----------|----1--4-----|-------2--4--|-2-----------|----------1-----||
|----4--2-----|-2-----------|-0--4--------|----4--2--4--|-2--------------||
|----------4--|-------------|-------------|-------------|----4-0---------||
                                            1  2 + 3 +
  &
|-------------|-0-----------|-------------|----------------|----------2--|
|-------2--4--|----4--2-----|-------------|-0-(0)----------|----1--4-----|
|-0--4--------|----------4--|-------2--4--|-------4--2-----|-2-----------|
|-------------|-------------|-0--4--------|-------------4--|-------------|

                                                       1. , 2.
|-------------|-------------|-------------||-----------|----------||
|-------2--4--|-2-----------|-2-------1---||o-2--------|------1--o||
|-0--4--------|----4--2--4--|----4-2------||o----------|---------o||
|-------------|-------------|-------------||-----------|----------||
                                             Verse

|----------|----------|------------||-------------|-2-----------|-------------|
|------1---|-2--------|------------||-------2--4--|----4--2-----|-------------|
|----------|----------|------------||-0--4--------|----------4--|-------2--4--|
|----------|----------|---0--2--3--||-------------|-------------|-0--4--------|
                                      Out Chorus

|-------------|----------2--|-------------||--------------|-------------||
|-2-----------|----1--4-----|-------2--4--||o-2-----------|-2-------1--o||
|----4--2-----|-2-----------|-0--4--------||o----4--2--4--|----4-2-----o||
|----------4--|-------------|-------------||--------------|-------------||
                                                          Repeat & Fade