Otis Blackwell wrote the song at the offices of Shalimar Music in 1956 after Al Stanton, one of Shalimar's owners, shaking a bottle of Pepsi at the time, suggested he write a song based on the phrase "all shook up".

In his book Last Train to Memphis, he wrote that Elvis Presley thought "All Shook Up" was a good phrase for a refrain.

In a 2009 interview, Hess revealed the origins of the song, and claimed to come up with the title of the song: "As far as 'All Shook Up', the title came from a real set of circumstances and when I decided not to write it, Otis Blackwell did and I had the first recording for Aladdin Records.

It was my title, but Otis wrote the song and Presley took a writing credit in order to get him to record it.

Credits from Keith Flynn and Ernst Jorgensen's examination of the original session tapes, RCA paperwork/contracts, and AFM/union contracts.

However, Len Garry of The Quarrymen (in his book John, Paul & Me) states that it was one of the songs the group played on July 6, 1957, the day John Lennon met Paul McCartney and that the song was recorded then (but was erased later).

Author Doug Sulpy (in Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image) adds that on January 13, 1969, during the "Get Back" sessions, they did record a "spirited" version of it with McCartney and George Harrison sharing vocals.

That version of the song remains officially unreleased (due to it being in mono and McCartney and Harrison not remembering all the lyrics by that late date).