"Paralyzed" is a 1956 song recorded by Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

 for his album Elvis

Elvis (1956 album)

Elvis is the second album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor in mono, LPM 1382, in October 1956. Recording sessions took place on September 1, September 2, and September 3 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, with one track leftover from the sessions for Presley's debut album at RCA recording...

. The song was recorded on September 2, 1956, and has been well-received by modern music critics. The song was mainly written by Otis Blackwell

Otis Blackwell

Otis Blackwell was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist, whose work significantly influenced rock 'n' roll...

, with Elvis receiving song-writing credit for his contributions to the finished song. Elvis Presley's song-writing credits are very rare, but occasionally he would re-work songs enough to be credited as a song-writer.

Chart History

"Paralyzed" reached #59 on the Billboard pop singles chart in 1956. The song was off of the Elvis album. The song was released as an EP by RCA Victor in the U.S.: Evis Volume 1, RCA EPA-992, which was released on October 19, 1956.

Album Appearances

Elvis Presley performed the song on the 1956 Million Dollar Quartet

Million Dollar Quartet

"Million Dollar Quartet" is the name given to recordings made on Tuesday December 4, 1956 in the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The recordings were of an impromptu jam session among Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. It was arguably the first...

 sessions and live in concert in 1956. A live version is featured on the 5 CD box set The Young Man with the Big Beat (2011). The song also appears on the 1990 BMG collection The Million Dollar Quartet and The Complete Million Dollar Quartet. The song is also on the box set The King of Rock and Roll: The Complete 1950s Masters by RCA/BMG. The song was also performed on the December 16, 1956 Louisiana Hayride

Louisiana Hayride

Louisiana Hayride was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music...

.

Personnel

The song was recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, produced by Steve Sholes and engineered by Thorne Nogar.

Musicians:

• Guitar: Elvis Presley

• Guitar: Scotty Moore

• Bass: Bill Black

• Drums: D.J. Fontana

• Piano: Elvis Presley

• Backup Vocals: The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker; Neal Matthews; Hoyt Hawkins; Hugh Jarrett

Other recordings by notable artists

Dave Edmunds

Dave Edmunds

David 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...

 recorded the song in 1986 as part of his live album I Hear You Rockin'

I Hear You Rockin'

I Hear You Rockin’ is an live album released by The Dave Edmunds Band in 1986 on Columbia LP record 40603.-Background:This “live” album was tweaked in the studio by Edmunds, who is known for his production perfectionism. It was to be his last solo effort for Columbia, and mostly features songs...

Sources

• Victor, Adam. The Elvis Encyclopedia. Overlook Duckworth; 2008. ISBN 1585675989.
• Wadey, Paul. "Jake Hess". The Independent. January 8, 2004 [cited December 28, 2009].
• Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony. The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles & Albums. 3rd ed. Omnibus Press; 2004. ISBN 1844490580.
• Waters, Lindsay. "Come Softly, Darling, Hear What I Say: Listening in a State of Distraction—A Tribute to the Work of Walter Benjamin, Elvis Presley, and Robert Christgau". Boundary 2. Spring 2003.
• Whitburn, Joel. Billboard Top 1000 Singles 1955–1992. Billboard Books; 1993. ISBN 079352072X.
• Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. 8th ed. Billboard Books; 2004. ISBN 0823074994