The origins of the song are disputed, but the writing is usually co-credited to singer/songwriter Dave "Curlee" Williams, and pianist and club owner James Faye "Roy" Hall.

Supervised by producer Jack Clement, Lewis radically altered the original, adding a propulsive boogie piano that was complemented by J.M.

Van Eaton's energetic drumming and Roland Janes' "muted" guitar[5] and also added suggestive spoken asides.

The song was engineered by Jack "Cowboy" Clement,[6][better source needed] who told Lewis when he entered the studio, "We don't do much country around here.

[10] Lewis became an instant sensation and as music writer Robert Gordon noted: "Jerry Lee began to show that in this new emerging genre called rock 'n' roll, not everybody was going to stand there with a guitar.

[12] American music critic Cub Koda described the song as a "rock & roll classic",[13] while scholar Charles L. Ponce de Leon said it was "perhaps the quintessential rockabilly anthem".

[7] Levi Kreis, portraying Lewis, sang the song in the Broadway musical Million Dollar Quartet, which opened in New York in April 2010.