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"Trouble" is a rock & roll song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. 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.
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." The piece then segued into "Guitar Man" against a "Jailhouse Rock" backdrop featuring male dancers in cells.
Amanda Lear's debut single was a recording of "Trouble", released in the UK by Creole Records. A French language translation by Vline Buggy, titled "La Bagarre", was released in France by Polydor. "La Bagarre" was later included on Lear's 1977 debut album I Am a Photograph. Lear performed the song on an episode of Musikladen aired 29 May 1976 in West Germany. Clad in black leather, Lear's performance alludes to Presley's tough 1950s image. This appearance lead Ariola Records to re-release "La Bagarre" and sign her to a six-album record contract.
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." Rock critic Robert Christgau however wrote that Quatro's rendition was "silly" and "can't convince me that she's evil."
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 '68 Comeback Special. Williams segues from "Trouble" into "Handsome Man" with a jail cell back-drop but with female dancers instead of males.
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