"Little Sister" is a rock and roll song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. It was originally released as a single in 1961 by American singer Elvis Presley, who turned it into a #5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The single (as a double A-side with "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame") reached #1 in the UK. An answer song with the same melody, but different lyrics was recorded and released under the title "Hey, Memphis" by Lavern Baker on Atlantic Records (Atlantic 2119-A) in September 1961. In 1970 Elvis Presley performs this song as part of a medley with Get Back in the rockumentary film That's the Way It Is.
The song would later be covered by artists such as Dwight Yoakam, Robert Plant, The Nighthawks, The Staggers, Pearl Jam, Ry Cooder and Jesse and the Rippers. Yoakam's version was a #7 hit on the Billboard country singles charts in 1987.
Chart positions[]
Elvis Presley[]
| Chart (1961) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
Dwight Yoakam version[]
| "Little Sister" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | ||||
| Single by Dwight Yoakam | ||||
| from the album Hillbilly Deluxe | ||||
| Released | February 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:01 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | Pete Anderson | |||
| Dwight Yoakam singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Chart (1987) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 7 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 3 |
| RIANZ charts | 35[2] |
Music Video[]
The Music Video for Dwight Yoakam's version of "Little Sister" was directed by Sherman Halsey.
Parody[]
Christian parody band ApologetiX did a parody of the song called "Little Esther" for their debut album Isn't Wasn't Ain't.