“ Hound Dog ” - Elvis Presley . This is one of a dozen or more 45 records I found in my parent ’ s closet when I was 6 or 7 years old . For about 3 or 4 years my world revolved around “ Hound Dog ” and “ Don ’ t Be Cruel ” ( B side )... as well as “ Shake Rattle and Roll ” by Bill Haley and the Comets , “ Sha-Boom ” by the Crew Cuts , and “ I ’ m Walkin ” by Fats Domino , and may others . I rigged my record player so that when I flipped on the light switch the needle would play “ Hound Dog ”... the opening snare run was magical . These records captured my imagination . I acted out the “ one eyed cat peepin ’ through the seafood store ”... I thought the RCA Victor dog at the old gramophone speaker pictured on the label was actually the hound dog that Elvis was singing about . It ’ s strange how something you experience at such a young age becomes the road map for how you experience life . That ’ s how it was for me . At the time though I took it totally in a literal way . Elvis was singing about a dog . Not a cheatin ’, no good , two timin ’ lover . Ah so innocent !