Police Dog Blues

Album: Let Them Talk (2011)
Charted: 58
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Hugh Laurie, aka, Dr. Gregory House of Fox's television medical drama House, is also an enthusiastic and keen musician, playing a number of different instruments. After signing a contract with Warner Bros, Laurie released a blues album, Let Them Talk, which proved a commercial success, topping the charts in several countries including Argentina and Austria. It also reached #2 in his native UK.
  • The album pays homage to New Orleans blues, a type of music in which Laurie has immersed himself all his life. He told Associated Press: "I'm approaching the source of this music that I've loved all my life and I do so with trepidation and a lot of respect. I hope people will believe and understand I'm not being cavalier about it. This is not a casual thing for me at all. This is more important than almost anything I've ever done."
  • This song was originally recorded in 1929 by Arthur "Blind" Blake, an influential ragtime blues singer and guitarist, who laid down about 80 tracks for Paramount Records between 1926 and 1932. Laurie's version debuted at #58 on the Hot 100, taking the song into the singles chart for the first time 82 years after it was written.
  • Lambchop recorded "Police Dog Blues" for their 2022 album, The Bible. The band's mainman, Kurt Wagner, re-listened to Blind Blake's original version during the 2020 unrest surrounding the killing of George Floyd. "It was deceptively upbeat musically and not what I remembered at all," he said. "Then I remembered a police dog is a Shepherd."

Comments: 2

  • Fran from Thousand Oaks, Ca.MORE, more, More !!
  • Hugh Mcphee from Wick, United KingdomHugh Laurie's cover of the song is pretty darn good.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."