Berry's signature song wasn't autobiographical, but it could have been. First Chuck Berry was born, on 18 October 1926, and then he gave birth to rock’n’roll. The '50s can be broken into two distinct halves: everything before and everything after rock 'n' roll.

As well as that No. It would be a few years before the music got there, but Berry's 1956 ht was an earth-rattling statement of its significance and timelessness. ", Look back at any rock giant’s account of their formative encounters with Chuck Berry‘s music and you’ll discover a common thread: Every one reads like the story of a true, near-religious epiphany. 9 on our list of Chuck Berry songs is one of rock's first great story songs -- complete with a twist.

© Copyright 2020 Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. Those and countless others became the standard texts of ten thousand set lists by up-and-coming rock ‘n’ rollers all over the world, endlessly covered on stage and in the studio.
We want to hear from you! On Album Chuck Berry Is On Top. To celebrate the unique brilliance of a rock’n’roll original, here’s a collection of the best Chuck Berry songs that capture his unparalleled career. There's a call the to the titular character to "Climb into my machine" and go to a "swingin' little joint where we can jump and shout." Here, his attempt to find a quiet spot to make out with his girlfriend is thwarted by a busted seat belt. Sometimes he was the lover, other times the fool. “Johnny B. Goode,” “Roll Over Beethoven” and other masterpieces that laid the groundwork for rock & roll as we know it, Revisit 20 essential Chuck Berry classics, from "Maybellene" to "Reelin' and Rockin'. Chuck Berry's status as one of the most important musicians of the rock era is undeniable. We’ve also included other Berry originals that may had less chart impact on release, but belong in every hall of fame you can imagine, from ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ to ‘Back In The USA’ and from ‘Carol’ to ‘Nadine’. "He could play guitar just like ringing a bell," he sings over one of rock 'n' roll's sturdiest musical templates.

The song tells a story of a hot rod … On appeal, Berry argued that the judge and jury were racially prejudiced against him, but he still served more than a year-and-a-half in prison. Everyone from the Beatles to Electric Light Orchestra to Iron Maiden have put their stamp on it. And he didn't mess around with his message or even the song's title.

The song features one of Berry's best hooks, and a chorus that name-drops cities and institutions help spreading the gospel of rock 'n' roll. Sign up for our newsletter. “Chuck had the swing,” Keith Richards told RS. "Maybellene" is the breaking point. Whether you’re just beginning to exploring his discography or a longtime fan, this playlist highlights his career’s defining moments and is a fantastic demonstration of Berry at his finest. No. Released in 1955. Elvis Presley will forever be known as the king of rock & roll in name, but few would dispute Chuck Berry’s status as the genre’s true godfather – the one most directly responsible for its endlessly adaptable blueprint.

Like many of rock 'n' roll's earliest songs, Berry's 1957 hit was a simple glorification of the music he helped pioneer and popularize. These tracks, with their indelible memories, superb guitar licks and incisive, often hilarious lyrics, were the very oxygen of rock ‘n’ roll. "All the way home I held a grudge / For the safety belt that wouldn't budge," he complains as they made their way back home. One of Berry's last big hits showed that he could still find new ways to tell a story about cars and girls. Brian Wilson loved "Sweet Little Sixteen" so much he used most of it in the Beach Boys' "Surfin' U.S.A." Berry's original, like many of his earliest pioneering hits, is a teen anthem that celebrates, in equal parts, rock 'n' roll and the youth revolution. 5 on our list of the Top 10 Chuck Berry Songs, it's one of his most direct and important compositions. ‘School Day’,‘Rock & Roll Music’, ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode’ all helped to keep Berry’s name high in the charts in his early years. As if uptight people in the '50s needed more signs of the rock 'n' roll apocalypse. Hail! "Sweet Little Sixteen" (1958) Brian Wilson loved "Sweet Little Sixteen" so much he used most of it in … Rock 'n' Roll: Berry's double-bend is perfect the way it is. This playlist celebrates the pioneering singer, songwriter and guitarist from St. Louis, Missouri, born on 18 October 1926. Joni Mitchell Drops Demo of First Original Song, 'Day After Day', Watch ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Moderate Presidential Debate in ‘We’re All Doomed’ Video, Miley Cyrus Releases Raucous Live Cover of ‘Heart of Glass’, BTS Perform ‘Black Swan,’ Talk Goal of Grammy Win on ‘Fallon’ Residency, Watch Chris Wallace Blame Trump for Debate Debacle, While Navigating Fox Host’s Anti-Biden Narrative.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The irony is that, a few months after the single's release, Berry would be arrested and subsequently convicted for bringing an underage girl across state lines for the purpose of having sexual relations with her. Maybellene. He's desperate to talk to her, and needs to hear her voice, even though Marie's mom is keeping them apart. Written after a tour of Australia, "Back in the U.S.A." was an unabashed love letter to America, with shout-outs to cities big and small, skyscrapers and corner cafes. All of the best Chuck Berry songs are now available on the Great Twenty-Eight: Super Deluxe Edition, a lavishly expanded box set version of the compilation released in 1982, which can be bought here. ‘The Woman In Me’: How Shania Twain Revealed Her True Potential, A Kind Of Magic: How Adam Lambert Revived Queen’s Fortunes, ‘Thank God I’ve Got You’: Even More Top Ten Action For The Statler Brothers, Underrated Blue Note Musicians: 12 Artists Worth Rediscovering, Zappa And Beefheart March To Their Own Drum On ‘Bongo Fury’, Listen To Ella Mai’s New Single, ‘Not Another Love Song’, Shania Twain Releases Multi-Format ‘The Woman In Me: Diamond Edition’, R.E.M.’s ‘Losing My Religion’ Features In New Episode Of Netflix’s ‘Song Exploder’, BLACKPINK Unleash New Album, Premiere Video For ‘Lovesick Girls’, Queen + Adam Lambert Talk ‘Live Around The World’ During Virtual Q&A. 5 debut hit, the list includes all six of Berry’s’s other US top ten singles. Required fields are marked *. "Roll Over Beethoven" is a defiant declaration of the music as a cultural force demanding to be taken seriously as an art form. ‘No Particular Place To Go’ was part of a memorable second phase of success for Berry in 1964 and the live novelty ‘My Ding-A-Ling’ provided him with a remarkable return to the top of the worldwide charts in 1972. “There’s rock, but it’s the roll that counts.” Here, in the wake of Berry’s passing, we survey a selection of the songs that helped make him immortal. And boy could he ever. Berry's first single kicks off with a blast of distorted guitar that must have sounded like a tempest in 1955. We're counting down our favorites with this list of the Top 10 Chuck Berry Songs. Then it embraces countless hits and lesser-known gems from his subsequent peerless career. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. As it starts, Berry is on the phone, pleading with an operator to connect him with a girl called Marie. While many of Berry's songs seem to sound the same -- a riff, three chords and tales about the nascent teenage culture of cars, girls and rock 'n' roll -- his genius, and the reason his music has endured, is how he found new ways to tell those stories. Is Chuck going to be playing soon…our birthday s are Tuesday 10/18/…have not yet seen him. Sitting at No. And then there were the songs that, underneath, contained bigger messages about racism in the U.S., as taboo a subject as you could find in the mid-to-late '50s. Another early-rock 'n' roll love song, right? It starts the only way it should, with a trip back to the song that introduced him to America and the world in the summer of 1955, ‘Maybellene’. On the surface, "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" seems like a harmless riff on boy-girl crushes, baseball and ancient history.

…Mark Murphy, Your email address will not be published. As a guitarist, songwriter and singer, he virtually created the template for rock 'n' roll via a string of hits between 1955 and 1964 that influenced everybody that followed.

Lyrically, it touches on everything we expect from Berry. But the catch here is that Berry can't dance. The subtext made for some pretty heavy stuff in 1956, when suburban parents were still fretting over rock 'n' roll's pull on their kids. But neither topped Berry's original, a straightforward tribute to the cultural movement he helped ignite. Pretty much every rock guitarist worth a riff has Berry to thank. Also featured are two classics that, inexplicably, never featured on the US charts at all, the brilliant narratives ‘Memphis, Tennessee’ and ‘Too Monkey Business’ — plus a lesser-played gem that was recognised with affection by Chuck’s great disciples the Rolling Stones as the title of their concert DVD recorded in Cuba, Havana Moon. For Paul McCartney and his fellow Beatles, the late Berry’s songs “hit us like a bolt of lightning.” Surveying Berry’s genius for Rolling Stone‘s 100 Greatest Artists list, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry said, “That feeling of excitement in the pit of my stomach, in the hair on the back of my neck: I got more of it from Chuck Berry than from anybody else.”. R&B music was creeping toward rock 'n' roll before this, but "Maybellene" pushes forward with a force that pretty much heralded the genre. Badu Babies: How Erykah Badu’s Vocal Style Transformed Music, How The ‘Hackers’ Techno-Forward Soundtrack Captured The Future, Best Amy Winehouse Songs: 20 Soulful Essentials, About Us • Contributors • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy • © 2020 uDiscoverMusic. Berry Pickin’ Betty Jean Big Ben Big Ben Blues Bio Birmingham Blue Feeling Blue on Blue Blues for Hawaiians Bordeaux in My Pirogh Bound to Lose Brenda Lee Bring Another Drink Broken Arrow Brown Eyed Handsome Man Butterscotch Bye Bye Johnny C.C. Turns out Marie is his six-year-old daughter, and her mother left town with her and without a word to the grieving Berry. First Chuck Berry was born, on 18 October 1926, and then he gave birth to rock’n’roll. Narrowing down the best Chuck Berry songs that encapsulate the unique brilliance of a rock’n’roll original is a daunting task, but one well worth the effort. The Beatles covered it; so did the Beach Boys. Your email address will not be published. He didn't invent rock 'n' roll guitar, but he perfected it, and "Johnny B Goode" is his crowning achievement, topping our list of the Top 10 Chuck Berry Songs. But dig deeper and you'll uncover a song brimming with racial tension (Berry wrote the song after watching a Hispanic man being arrested in a minority neighborhood). Want more Rolling Stone? “Maybellene” (1955 single included on 1959’s Chuck Berry Is On Top) This is the song that put Berry … There's a reason Chuck Berry was so adamantly against the way Keith Richards was ending the riff from "Carol" in Hail! Check it out below.