Tutti Frutti And Elvis Presley: Song Analysis

Little Richard first released “Tutti Frutti” in 1955, and Elvis Presley released his version in 1956. Both versions of the songs sound similar in that they invoke a feeling of happiness and a desire to get up and dance. However, these songs are not identical.

The lyrics for both versions are almost identical except for a few extra non-word sounds at the end of some lines. This comes as a surprise as it was common for songs originally performed by black artists to be covered by white artists with altered lyrics in the 1950s. The song definitively does not sound the same as the instrumentation and vocal sounds are changed which does not come as a surprise. The order goes as follows: chorus, verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, instrumental section, chorus, verse 1, and

The way in which the song is sang is different. Little Richard’s version tends to extend the middle and end of his lines or adds a high-pitched “OOH”; he also rests between each line. It seems as if Little Richard is shouting the lyrics at the audience. Meanwhile, Elvis Presley sounds similar to a person talking in quick succession, perhaps owing to the tempo in his version; he does extend the middle syllable in the same way Little Richard does but the end of the line stops and move onto the next line with only a small pause.

The instrumentation in each version are

One can dance to Little Richard’s version with a swing dance as it allows time for time for complex movements. Elvis Presley’s does not allow much time for more complex movements in which you probably only dance by jumping up and down in the way teens do at concerts. It would take a skilled dancer to coordinate a dance to the tempo that is presented in Elvis’ version. Even though both songs have the same lyrics, the execution of it is very much different between the two versions and shows how quickly rock music can change and respond to its