Hide Away - Freddie King Version

Freddie King Version

Freddie King acknowledged that "Hide Away" has elements of several songs, but arranged in his own way. Starting with Hound Dog Taylor's song, he said he then "got a idea about these breaks and things in there". He credited Robert Jr. Lockwood with inspiring "the diminished chord I used on the break part" "and the thing I put in there like "The Walk." That came from one of Jimmy McCracklin's songs, you know, I just pitched it all in like this. Made a commercial thing out of it. But - it sold". Freddie King also added a section of "The Peter Gunn Theme" from a popular television series of the time. Bill Willis, who played bass at the recording session, recalled the cue King used for that section "He would be playing—like when we did the 'Peter Gunn' thing in 'Hide Away'—and just before he started it, he would take his hand and point it like a pistol at us. 'Okay, we're going into "Peter Gunn"'". The following section features a guitar figure similar to one in "Guitar Boogie Shuffle", a 1959 guitar instrumental hit.

"Hide Away" was recorded in 1960 and backing King (guitar) were Sonny Thompson (piano), Bill Willis (bass), and Philip Paul (drums). The following year it spent nineteen weeks in the Billboard R&B chart where it reached #5. The song also reached #29 in the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the highest showings in the pop chart by a blues artist.