"Crawfish" is a song written by Fred Wise (lyrics) and

Ben Weisman Benjamin Weisman (November 16, 1921 – May 20, 2007) was an American composer. He wrote 57 songs recorded by Elvis Presley, more than any other songwriter. Biography Weisman was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and grew up in Brooklyn, New Yor ...

(music) and recorded as a duet by the jazz singer

Kitty White Kitty Jean Bilbrew (July 7, 1923 – August 11, 2009), known professionally Kitty White, was an American jazz singer who was popular in Los Angeles nightclubs. She recorded mostly on the West Coast with Buddy Collette, Gerald Wiggins, Chico ...

and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

. It was the opening song for Presley's 1958 film ''

King Creole ''King Creole'' is a 1958 American Musical film, musical drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and based on the 1952 novel ''A Stone for Danny Fisher'' by Harold Robbins. Produced by Hal B. Wallis, the film stars Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, W ...

''. British musician and Clash frontman

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash' ...

described "Crawfish" on his radio-show as one of his favourite

songs. The song and his recommendation were included on the soundtrack to the 2007 documentary '' Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten''.

Recording

Bilbrew and Presley recorded the song on January 15, 1958, during the soundtrack recording session for the Paramount movie, ''King Creole'' at

Radio Recorders Radio Recorders, Inc. was an American recording studio located in Los Angeles, California. During the 1940s and 1950s, Radio Recorders was one of the largest independent recording studios in the world. Notable musicians recorded at Radio Recorde ...

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...

. The producer was

Walter Scharf Walter Scharf (August 1, 1910 – February 24, 2003) was an American musician, best known as a film, television and concert composer and arranger/conductor. Biography Broadway theatre Born in Manhattan, he was the son of Yiddish theatre comic Be ...

, the sound engineer Thone Nogar. At least eight takes have been recorded; the master is take seven. In 1978, Jean Bilbrew released an alternate master mix (with overdubs recorded in 1978) including the full length intro sung by herself. This version runs 4 minutes and 10 seconds.

Cover versions

The song has been covered a number of times, arguably the most well-known is by

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of New York Dolls. He later formed the He ...

and

Patti Palladin Patti Palladin is an American singer and musician of the punk rock and post-punk / new wave genres. She is primarily known for her work with Snatch (with Judy Nylon), Johnny Thunders, and the Flying Lizards. Career Palladin was a member of the ...

released in 1985, reaching the top five on the

UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the ...

across a 12-week stint and was later included on their '' Copy Cats'' covers album in 1988.

References

{{authority control 1958 songs Crayfish Songs about crustaceans Elvis Presley songs Songs with lyrics by Fred Wise (songwriter) Songs with music by Ben Weisman