Talk:Jailhouse Rock (song)

An interesting analysis
Here is an interesting analysis of the entire song (see ):

... I have heard this song over a thousand times but this time, I realized that “Jailhouse Rock” has some very homoerotic lyrics ... Let’s discuss the lyrics:


 * 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 dancin’ to the jailhouse rock.

That should have been my first clue. What cons do you know of would jump and wail while in jail? None! Jail is a dangerous, hard-core place and you are more worried about dropping the soap then singing to the jailhouse prison band. That’s another clue - a prison with a band? Let’s hear more about this band and who its members are!


 * 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.

The Purple Gang? How scary is this gang? I mean, you have gang members playing sax, trombone, and drums. Who are they possibly going to rumble for turf - the Jets and the Sharks? I don’t care if your name IS Spider Murphy, you better have killed a guy by clubbing him over the head with a saxophone if you want to not take your fruit cocktail at lunch. So it’s not completely gay yet. I mean, so some of the prisoners are talented and Elvis was a musician. Ok, lets meet the rest of the jailhouse rockers.


 * 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.

There! Did you read it? Number 3 is obviously the prison bitch. He is apparently the cutest jailbird that 47 has ever laid his eyes on. I have not doubt in my mind that the Purple Gang is involved in recruiting number 3 to be part of the so-called “Jailhouse Rock!” At least 47 found a “partner.” What would happen if there weren’t anyone for number 3 to dance with?


 * 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.

Jail is no place for anyone that is “weepin’” all alone. This guy should have been beaten and smacked and left to mop the floors, but no, the Warden in this “care center” is concerned and offers advice to dance with a wooden chair. Why be left out of the fun when there is perfectly good prison furniture to dance with. Surely there has to be someone that is looking at this and thinking, “I’ve got to get out of this place?”


 * 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.

Shifty Henry has the right idea. Jail is not a picnic. They lock people up for committing crimes. This is not a vacation. He wants to make a break while the rest of the Purple gang is distracted and invites Bugs to come with him. What does Bugs say, “No way man. Jail is fun! I want to stay while I can get my kicks!” I don’t even what to know what it means to get you kicks in a jail full of men.

There you have it. Elvis may or may not have been gay, but I leave it up to you to decide. It won’t change my opinion of him. I will always listen to the great sounds of the King, but wow!This could shake the music industry up. Then again, the song and movie came out in 1957 and that's just how they rolled back then. Elvis is the man.

For similar discussions, see also Patrick Humphries, Elvis, The #1 Hits: The Secret History of the Classics (2003), p.95, and Harry M. Benshoff, Queer Cinema: The Film Reader (2004), p.81. Onefortyone 23:05, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps, but one must remember times were quite different then. It was not unusual, in single-sex situations like jail, military, single-sex schools, etc. for single sex partners to dance. Heck, I've even seen such to occur at dances when there were different numbers of males and females. Also remember that this was a musical comedy; as such, the "world" it depicts is not the real world, anymore than the world of "How to Succeed in Business . . ." depicts the real world of business. I don't think business people break into song on a regular basis. Wschart (talk) 19:08, 12 August 2009 (UTC)


 * That's an amusing essay, but after three+ years in this article, I think it's necessary to point out that it is humor. (See the blog from which it comes.) I'll admit that the "cutest jailbird" line has made me laugh out loud sometimes, but let's remember that in the 1950s a very popular trope in fiction was "Bad Girls Behind Bars": the co-mingling of men and women inmates is only one instance of the extensive artistic license employed in the lyrics. None of the "clues" withstand the slightest scrutiny, of course, and are only setups for punchlines. Yet apparently it was convincing enough for someone to put it in the article, and even "sourced" it through a Rolling Stone article: its weblink no longer exists but I'm willing to wager the article was largely tongue-in-cheek. I placed a "dubious" template there (and a dead link marker) because I doubt this claim could be backed up with any references that are not comedic. SteveStrummer (talk) 03:14, 19 November 2010 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Jailhouse rock.jpg
Image:Jailhouse rock.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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 * Fair use rationale updated. --Northmeister 13:42, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Elvis Jailhouse B.JPG
Image:Elvis Jailhouse B.JPG is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

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BetacommandBot 03:00, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Elvis Jailhouse B.JPG
Image:Elvis Jailhouse B.JPG is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 05:23, 5 November 2007 (UTC)

Elvis Costello, "Mystery Dance"
This song by the other Elvis, uses "Jailhouse's" melodic scheme. Google Books evidence. --zenohockey (talk) 17:10, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

the residents were on the list of covers twice.
so i deleted the other. —Preceding unsigned comment added by MasterOfBucket (talk • contribs) 22:01, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

"Possible inspiration" section
The "possible inspiration" section looks to be entirely original research. Not only is there is no citation, but it appears to be about inspiration for the movie scene rather than for the song. All interviews with Leiber & Stoller on the subject say essentially the same thing as this excerpt from the Blue Railroad interview by Paul Zollo: "STOLLER: There was a scene. We didn't read the script that carefully, but we thumbed through, and Jerry saw that there was an amateur show in a prison. So he wrote 'Jailhouse Rock.'" All four Leiber-Stoller songs for the film Jailhouse Rock were written in a few hours as a condition—spontaneously imposed by publisher Jean Aberbach—for the writers' release from their hotel room, nixing the notion that the duo researched another film for inspiration. Furthermore, the song "Rock Around The Rockpile" from The Girl Can't Help It is an obvious parody of "Rock Around The Clock," which "Jailhouse Rock" does not particularly resemble. So, unless anyone has a supporting citation specific to the song, or some other well-reasoned objection, I'd like to strike the whole "Possible inspiration" section. If it belongs anywhere, it's in the article about the film, not the song. Pstoller (talk) 02:02, 4 March 2013 (UTC)

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Odd key
I always wondered about the key signature. Eb major is not a good key for guitarists at all. Is there a story here? Did the musicians tune their instruments down a half-step for the recording? Jules TH 16 (talk) 17:54, 5 June 2021 (UTC)