| "Hound Dog" has an interesting back story. The lyrics in the Presley version are close to the original lyrics that Leiber and Stoller wrote for Big Mama Thornton. Just reverse the gender and you get the idea.
She was surprised to discover that both Leiber and Stoller were white, because they had been writing many R&B hits for other artists.
When Elvis Presley's version, based on a version by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys, hit big and sold millions of copies, a dispute over ownership of "Hound Dog" erupted. Johnny Otis, who was Thornton's bandleader, claimed that he had wrote it. On the other hand, Leiber and Stoller claimed that Otis had finagled his name on the songwriting credits while no one was looking. According to the songwriting team, they have expunged Otis' name from the credits.
Charitably, some sources give Otis the benefit of the doubt but most people credit Leiber and Stoller with the song.
Main Web sources:
http://members.aol.com/lcum902965/Leiberstoller.html (Leiber and Stoller interview)
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B1gjleaz04xd7 (Big Mama Thornton entry)
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