Trouble (Elvis Presley song)

"Trouble" is a blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, originally performed by Elvis Presley in 1958 and covered by a number of artists in later years, most notably by Amanda Lear.

Background

Elvis Presley performed the song in the 1958 motion picture King Creole, and his recording was included on the soundtrack of the same name. "Trouble", featuring Scotty Moore on guitar, was one of only three songs written by Leiber and Stoller for the feature. Presley's performance in the film alludes to Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley. "If you're looking for trouble", he intones, "then look right in my face. Because I'm evil. My middle name is Misery". Music critic Maury Dean suggests that "Trouble", with Presley's "growling snarl", is one of the earliest proto-punk rock songs.^[1]

Ten years later, Presley opened his 1968 comeback special with this number. With dark, moody lighting highlighting his sneer, the sequence alluded to Presley's checkered past and "dangerous" image and served to prove that the singer was still "sexy, surly and downright provocative".^[2][3] The piece then segued into "Guitar Man" against a "Jailhouse Rock" backdrop featuring male dancers in cells. Presley performed the song several times on tour in the early 1970s and unofficial recordings of these performances have circulated. In 1975, Presley recorded "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" for a single, but this is a completely different song.

The song was included in the musical revue Smokey Joe's Cafe.

Amanda Lear version

"La Bagarre"
1976 single cover, West Germany
Single by Amanda Lear
from the album I Am a Photograph
B-side	"Lethal Leading Lady"
Released	1975
Format	7"
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:40
Label	Polydor, Creole, Ariola
Writer(s)	Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Vline Buggy
Amanda Lear singles chronology
"La Bagarre" (1975) "Blood and Honey" (1976)

Singer and model Amanda Lear recorded a French-language version of "Trouble", retitled as "La Bagarre", with new lyrics written by Vline Buggy. The cover was released as her debut single in France and Belgium in 1975 by Polydor Records, with "Lethal Leading Lady" on the side B, a song co-written by Lear. The single turned out a commercial failure and in 1976, an English-language version with original lyrics was released in the UK by Creole Records and other parts of Europe, again to no chart success.

Lear performed the song in an episode of Musikladen aired 29 May 1976 in West Germany, clad in black leather outfit, alluding to Presley's tough 1950s image.^[4] The performance led Ariola Records to re-release "La Bagarre" and sign her to a six-album record contract. The single was also promoted by an appearance in German TV show 3 nach 9, where Amanda famously had to contradict the transsexual rumours.^[5]

"La Bagarre" was included on Lear's 1977 debut album I Am a Photograph. However, it was removed from the track listing of subsequent pressings in favour of "Queen of Chinatown".

Lear recorded the English-language version of the song for her 2014 album of Elvis Presley covers, My Happiness.

Track listing

• 7" single (1975)^[6][7]

A. "La Bagarre" – 3:40

B. "Lethal Leading Lady" – 2:50

• 7" single (1976)^[8][9]

A. "Trouble" – 3:40

B. "Lethal Leading Lady" – 2:50

Other versions

• Jackie DeShannon covered "Trouble" in 1959, the b-side of "Lies" on the PJ and Dot record labels.
• Suzi Quatro recorded "Trouble" in 1974 for her second album, Quatro. According to author Phillip Auslander, with this track Quatro "aligned herself with a performance tradition of male boastfulness that includes Elvis".^[10] Rock critic Robert Christgau however wrote that Quatro's rendition was "silly" and "can't convince me that she's evil".^[11]
• A cover version by Gillan peaked at #14 in the UK Singles chart in October 1980.^[12]
• Glenn Danzig recorded several versions, most notably on Danzig's 1993 EP Thrall: Demonsweatlive.
• Robbie Williams opened his 2002 DVD concert, The Robbie Williams Show, with this song. His performance was identical in concept and staging to the opening sequence of Elvis Presley's 1968 comeback special. Williams segues from "Trouble" into "Handsome Man" with a jail cell back-drop but with female dancers instead of males.
• Carrie Underwood covered the song on the fourth season of American Idol.
• Britney Spears opened the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards with the first lines of "Trouble" before segueing into a performance of her single "Gimme More".
• Another version performed by Greg Dulli and Kerry Brown was highlighted during Gerry's dance scene in the movie P.S. I Love You.
• Lauren Alaina covered the song on the tenth season of American Idol.
• My Ruin covered the song on their 2013 album The Sacred Mood.
• Alan Cumming covered the song in the 2015 Lucasfilm movie, "Strange Magic".

References