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Leiber/Stoller

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Leiber / Stoller were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such crossover hit songs as "Hound Dog" (1952) and "Kansas City" (1952). Later in the 1950s, particularly through their work with The Coasters, they created a string of ground-breaking hits—including "Young Blood" (1957), "Searchin'" (1957), and "Yakety Yak" (1958)—that used the humorous vernacular of teenagers sung in a style that was openly theatrical rather than personal. Having written several songs for Elvis Presley, The Residents covered Leiber/Stoller material for three separate projects.

Background[]

History (1933 - 1979)[]

Leiber and Stoller were two Jewish songwriters born in early 1933. Both were born on the East Coast of the United States but eventually relocated to Los Angeles, California. Leiber relocated to California in 1947 to study at Belmont High School, with Stoller relocating the year after to study at Fairfax High. In 1950, the two finally met and discovered their shared love for the emerging 'Rhythm and Blues' musical style. They immediately began writing songs together and sold them to various performers, the first of which was Jimmy Witherspoon.

The duo first began to achieve notoriety in 1952, when they wrote the song 'Hard Times' for Charles Brown. The Residents were very young when this was released but may have noticed and enjoyed the track. The same year, the duo wrote 'Hound Dog' for Big Mama Thornton, a song that The Residents would later cover. Hound Dog was a huge hit for everyone involved and is still one of the duo's best-known songs. Throughout the early 1950s, Leiber & Stoller continued to write hits for various artists; then, in 1956, Elvis Presley's cover of 'Hound Dog' became a massive hit for the then-unknown artist. The Residents were in their tweens at the time of Elvis' version's release and likely would've paid more attention to it than the original. Throughout the rest of the 1950s, Leiber and Stoller continued to write hits for Presley, Jailhouse Rock, and Don't. By the 1970s, the two had retired from songwriting but continued to work as record producers until 1979.

The Residents (1982 - 2004)[]

The Residents first recorded Leiber/Stoller material in 1982 as part of a jam session during the Mole Show rehearsals, when they recorded a re-arranged version of Jailhouse Rock. This recording was released the following year on the 'Residue' album, comprised entirely of studio outtakes. The group were fans of this arrangement and performed it live on their 13th Anniversary Tour throughout 1985 - 1987. The only difference in the live version was that Snakefinger was on guitar and The Singing Resident used a more gravelly voice; instead of the nasal tone found on the Residue recording. This slightly alternate arrangement was recorded in October of 1986 and was released as the B-Side to their re-recording of This Is A Man's Man's Man's World.

When The Residents selected material for their Elvis Presley segment of Cube-E, 'The Baby King', the group decided against performing Jailhouse Rock again and instead chose to cover the Leiber/Stoller piece Hound Dog as the penultimate song of the sow. Hound Dog also was included on the album version of said segment as the final track. The Residents' Don't Be Cruel EP, released in 1990, featured the Leiber/Stoller song 'Don't', which had been demoed for but rejected from The Baby King.

The Residents largely left Leiber/Stoller material alone throughout the 1990s, but in 2004 re-recorded Jailhouse Rock for their King & Eye: RMX album.

Songs Covered by The Residents[]

Credits on Residents Releases[]

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