Baby Let's Play House
"Baby, Let's Play House", is a song written by Arthur Gunter and recorded by him in 1954 on the Excello Records label,[1] and covered by Elvis Presley the following year on Sun Records.[2] It was the fourth issue of a Presley record by Sun[3], and became the first song recorded by Elvis to appear on a national chart, when it made #5 on the Billboard Country Singles chart in July 1955.[4]
Presley's version differed slightly from the original: Elvis started the song with the chorus, where Gunter began with the first verse, and he replaced Gunter's line "You may get religion" with the words "You may have a pink Cadillac", referring to his custom-painted 1954 Cadillac auto that had been serving as the band's transportation at the time.
John Lennon used the line, "I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man," from this song for the opening line of the Beatles song, "Run for Your Life."
In the early 1990s, the Beatles' "Run for Your Life" was banned by a Toronto radio station for its misogynistic message. When the radio station was asked if it had also banned "Baby, Let's Play House," the program director confessed to not being familiar with the Presley song. Upon listening to it, however, the program director banned it as well.[citation needed]
References
- ^ SecondHandSongs.com
- ^ "Facts about Elvis - Elvis Presley's life - Elvis news: New Elvis Presley Remix "Baby Let's Play House" Available for Download on iTunes TODAY! 6/3/2008" Retrieved July 21, 2008
- ^ Presley releases
- ^ The Blue Moon Boys - The Story of Elvis Presley's Band. Ken Burke and Dan Griffin. 2006. Chicago Review Press. page 47. ISBN 1-55652-614-8