Arthur Crudup's version is a Delta-style blues over a twelve-bar progression. A plain guitar pattern, with upright bass and drums keeping time. Released by RCA Victor, it did not become a major hit at the time.
Elvis's version sings the same song “at least twice as fast as the original.” A slapped bass and a springing guitar stamp out a four-beat rhythm that was born as a joke between takes — and made Sam Phillips leap from the control room. As the first rockabilly record, it announces the start of rock and roll.