Johnny B. Goode

Last updated

"Johnny B. Goode"
Johnny B Goode by Chuck Berry US single side-A.png
One of side-A labels of original US single
Single by Chuck Berry
B-side "Around and Around"
ReleasedMarch 31st, 1958
Recorded1958
Studio Chess, Chicago
Genre Rock and roll
Length2:39
Label Chess
Songwriter(s) Chuck Berry
Producer(s) Leonard Chess, Phil Chess
Chuck Berry singles chronology
"Sweet Little Sixteen"
(1958)		"Johnny B. Goode"
(1958)		"Beautiful Delilah"
(1958)
Audio sample

"Johnny B. Goode" is a song by American musician Chuck Berry, written and sung by Berry in 1958. Released as a single in 1958, it peaked at number two on the Hot R&B Sides chart and number eight on its pre-Hot 100 chart. [1] The song remains a staple of rock music.

Contents

"Johnny B. Goode" is considered one of the most recognizable songs in the history of popular music. Credited as "the first rock & roll hit about rock & roll stardom", [2] it has been covered by various other artists and has received several honors and accolades. These include being ranked 33rd and 7th, respectively on Rolling Stone magazine’s 2021 [3] and 2004 versions of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" [2] [4] It was also included as one of the 27 songs on the Voyager Golden Record, a collection of music, images, and sounds designed to serve as an introduction and record of global humanity’s achievements, innovations and culture, to alien/otherworldly inhabitants.

Composition and recording

Written by Berry in 1955, the song is about an illiterate "country boy" from the New Orleans area, who plays a guitar "just like ringing a bell", and who might one day have his "name in lights". [5] Berry acknowledged that the song is partly autobiographical and that the original lyrics referred to Johnny as a "colored boy", but he changed it to "country boy" to ensure radio play. [6] As well as suggesting that the guitar player is good, the title hints at autobiographic elements, because Berry was born at 2520 Goode Avenue, in St. Louis. [5]

The song was initially inspired by Johnnie Johnson, the regular piano player in Berry's band, [7] but developed into a song mainly about Berry himself. Johnson played on many recordings by Berry, but for the Chess recording session Lafayette Leake played the piano, along with Willie Dixon on bass and Fred Below on drums. [5] [8] The session was produced by Leonard and Phil Chess. [8] The guitarist Keith Richards later suggested that the song's chords are more typical of compositions written for piano than for guitar. [9]

The opening guitar riff of "Johnny B. Goode" borrows from the opening single-note solo on Louis Jordan's "Ain't That Just Like a Woman" (1946), played by guitarist Carl Hogan. [10]

Legacy

The Voyager Golden Record contains "Johnny B. Goode" among various musical pieces from many cultures. The Sounds of Earth - GPN-2000-001976.jpg
The Voyager Golden Record contains "Johnny B. Goode" among various musical pieces from many cultures.

In The Guardian, Joe Queenan argued that "no song in the history of rock'n'roll more jubilantly celebrates the downmarket socioeconomic roots of the genre" than "Johnny B. Goode". [11] In Billboard , Jason Lipshutz stated that the song was "the first rock-star origin story", and that it featured "a swagger and showmanship that had not yet invaded radio." [12]

When Chuck Berry was inducted during the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on January 23, 1986, he performed "Johnny B. Goode" and "Rock and Roll Music", backed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. [13] The Hall of Fame included these songs and "Maybellene" in their list of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll. [14] It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, for its influence as a rock and roll single. [15]

The song was included on the 1973 American Graffiti soundtrack album.

"Johnny B. Goode" has been recorded by a wide variety of artists in different genres. In 1969, country musician Buck Owens's version topped Billboard magazine's Hot Country Sides chart. [16] In 1972, Jimi Hendrix had a posthumous hit with a live version, which peaked at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart. [17] and number 13 on the New Zealand Top 50 in 1986. [18] Peter Tosh's rendition peaked at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100, [19] number 48 on the UK Singles Chart, [20] number 10 in the Netherlands, and number 29 in New Zealand in 1983. [21] In 1988, Judas Priest's version reached number 64 on the UK Singles Chart. [17] The Sex Pistols also covered it for their soundtrack The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle in 1979.

Devo paid homage to the Chuck Berry song with their own song Come Back Jonee on its debut album Q. Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! .

The song is included, as the eleventh track of disc 1, in the Voyager Golden Record, traveling into deep space outside the solar system.

A cover version is featured in the film Back to the Future (1985), when the lead character Marty McFly, played by actor Michael J. Fox, performs it at a high school dance. This is heard by Marvin Berry, a fictional cousin of Chuck who calls him up and makes him listen to the song, telling him it's "the new sound you've been looking for", thus making it a bootstrap paradox. Fox explained his approach was to "incorporate all the characteristics and mannerisms and quirks of my favourite guitarists, so a Pete Townshend windmill, and Jimi Hendrix behind the back, and a Chuck Berry duckwalk. And we worked all that in." [22]

The Grateful Dead often performed the song live, purportedly playing it 287 times. [23]

Ninjago pays homage to Johnny B. Goode several times throughout the show with a track titled Dareth the Guitar Man (also known as Dareth The Man or Dareth's Blues), which features similar musical themes to Chuck Berry's song. [24]

Accolades

ListPublisherRankYear of publication
500 Greatest Songs of All Time [2] Rolling Stone 72004
50 Greatest Guitar Solos [25] Guitar World 122009
100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time [26] Rolling Stone 12008
100 Greatest Guitar Tracks [27] Q 422005
500 Greatest Songs of All Time [3] Rolling Stone 332021
500 Songs That Shaped Rock [28] Rock and Roll Hall of Fame N/A1995

Charts and certifications

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI) [33]
sales since 2009 		Gold25,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [34] Platinum600,000‡
United States (RIAA) [35] Platinum1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Berry</span> American musician (1926–2017)

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive with songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957), and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958). Writing lyrics that focused on teen life and consumerism, and developing a music style that included guitar solos and showmanship, Berry was a major influence on subsequent rock music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnnie Johnson (musician)</span> American musician

Johnnie Clyde Johnson was an American pianist who played jazz, blues, and rock and roll. His work with Chuck Berry led to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for breaking racial barriers in the military as a Montford Point Marine, where he endured racism and inspired social change while integrating the previously all-white Marine Corps during World War II.

<i>Electric Ladyland</i> 1968 studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

Electric Ladyland is the third and final studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in October 1968. A double album, it was the only record from the Experience with production solely credited to Hendrix. The band's most commercially successful release and its only number one album, it was released by Reprise Records in the United States on October 16, 1968, and by Track Records in the UK nine days later. By mid-November, it had reached number 1 on the Billboard Top LPs chart, spending two weeks there. In the UK it peaked at number 6, where it spent 12 weeks on the British charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock and Roll Music (song)</span> 1957 song by Chuck Berry

"Rock and Roll Music" is a song by American musician and songwriter Chuck Berry, written and recorded by Berry in May 1957. It has been widely covered and is one of Berry's most popular and enduring compositions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roll Over Beethoven</span> Original song written and composed by Chuck Berry

"Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 song written by Chuck Berry, originally released on Chess Records, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to be as respected as classical music. The song has been covered by many other artists, including the Beatles and the Electric Light Orchestra. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 97 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maybellene</span> 1955 single by Chuck Berry

"Maybellene" is a rock and roll song by American artist Chuck Berry, adapted in part from the western swing fiddle tune "Ida Red". Released in 1955, Berry’s song tells the story of a hot rod race and a broken romance, the lyrics describing a man driving a V8 Ford and chasing his unfaithful girlfriend in her Cadillac Coupe DeVille. It was released in July 1955 as a single by Chess Records, of Chicago, Illinois. Berry's first hit, "Maybellene" is considered a pioneering rock and roll song. Rolling Stone magazine wrote of it, "Rock & roll guitar starts here." The record was an early instance of the complete rock and roll package: youthful subject matter; a small, guitar-driven combo; clear diction; and an atmosphere of unrelenting excitement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shop Around</span> 1960 song recorded by The MIRACLES

"Shop Around" is a song originally recorded by the Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. It was written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. It became a smash hit in 1960 when originally recorded by the Miracles, reaching number one on the Billboard R&B chart, number one on the Cashbox Top 100 Pop Chart, and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was the Miracles' first million-selling hit record, and the first-million-selling hit for the Motown Record Corporation.

<i>Anthology</i> (Chuck Berry album) 2000 greatest hits album by Chuck Berry

Anthology is a two-disc compilation album by American rock and roll musician Chuck Berry released on July 27, 2000, by Chess Records. It duplicates in its entirety the previous anthology The Great Twenty-Eight ranked at No. 21 on the Rolling Stone 500 greatest all time albums list, as well as the entirety of the later Definitive Collection issued in 2006 as part of the Universal series. The album was later reissued and packaged in 2005 as part of the Universal Records Gold series, and simply retitled Gold. It charted at No. 110 in the UK Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Little Sixteen</span> 1958 single by Chuck Berry

"Sweet Little Sixteen" is a rock and roll song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry, who released it as a single in January 1958. His performance of it at that year's Newport Jazz Festival was included in the documentary film Jazz on a Summer's Day. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, one of two of Berry's second-highest positions—along with Johnny Rivers cover of "Memphis, Tennessee"—on that chart. "Sweet Little Sixteen" also reached number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart. In the UK, it reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 272 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004. He used the same melody on an earlier song, "The Little Girl From Central" recorded on Checkmate in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoonful</span> Blues standard first recorded by Howlin Wolf

"Spoonful" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon and first recorded in 1960 by Howlin' Wolf. Called "a stark and haunting work", it is one of Dixon's best known and most interpreted songs. Etta James and Harvey Fuqua had a pop and R&B record chart hit with their duet cover of "Spoonful" in 1961, and it was popularized in the late 1960s by the British rock group Cream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bo Diddley (Bo Diddley song)</span> 1955 song by Bo Diddley

"Bo Diddley" is a song by American rock and roll pioneer Bo Diddley. It introduced the rhythm that became known as the Bo Diddley beat and topped the Billboard R&B chart for two weeks in 1955. The song is included on many of Diddley's compilation albums including Bo Diddley (1958) and His Best (1997). Buddy Holly recorded a version that became his highest-charting single in the UK.

<i>Chuck Berrys Golden Decade</i> 1967 compilation album by Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry's Golden Decade is a compilation of music by Chuck Berry, released in three volumes in 1967, 1973, and 1974. Covering the decade from 1955 to 1964, each volume consists of a two-LP set of 24 songs recorded by Berry. The first volume reached number 72 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart. The second volume peaked at number 110. The third volume, which included only two hit singles among its tracks, did not chart.

"Let It Rock" is a song written and recorded by rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry. Chess Records released it as single, which reached number 64 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1960. Chess later added it to Berry's album Rockin' at the Hops (1960). In 1963, Pye Records released it as a single in the UK, where it reached number six.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonely Teardrops</span> 1958 single by Jackie Wilson

"Lonely Teardrops" is a song written by Berry Gordy Jr., Gwen Gordy and Roquel "Billy" Davis, first recorded and released as a single in 1958 by R&B singer Jackie Wilson, on the Brunswick label. The single was commercially successful, reaching the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, and number-one on the R&B chart. It is ranked as the 57th biggest U.S. hit of 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Berry discography</span>

American rock and roll musician Chuck Berry's discography includes 20 studio albums, 12 live albums, 31 compilation albums, 50 singles, 8 EPs, and 2 soundtrack albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malina Moye</span> American singer-songwriter

Malina Moye is an American singer-songwriter, lefty guitarist, model, actress, and entrepreneur, who fuses pop, rock, and soul. As a lefty, Moye draws comparisons to Jimi Hendrix, but plays her guitars flipped upside-down like Albert King. Moye founded WCE Records in 2004. Moye's fourth album Dirty was released worldwide on March 17, 2023, to critical acclaim landing on top of the Billboard Blues chart marking Moye's third appearance on the chart. Dirty was also voted into the top five of Guitar World Magazine's Best Guitar Albums of 2023 list. Malina's third studio album Bad as I Wanna Be was released March 23, 2018, reaching number one for two weeks straight on the Billboard Blues chart and landed on Billboard's Heatseakers Album Chart at number 19. Parade Magazine declared "Moye has proven herself once again as an über talented, electric guitar powerhouse." The song "Enough" premiered on Minnesota's KCMP The Current 89.3, an NPR station, and is also featured in the film The Samuel Project. Rolling Stone France gave the album four stars stating that "Moye perfectly blends, Blues, Funk, Rock and Pop."

<i>The Chess Box</i> 1988 box set by Chuck Berry

The Chess Box is a compact disc box set compilation by Chuck Berry. It is one in a series of box sets issued by MCA/Chess in the late 1980s. The Chuck Berry set is the most prominent of these, having won a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album in 1989. Berry's Chess Box was reissued on vinyl in 1990.

"Carol" is a song written and recorded by Chuck Berry, first released by Chess Records in 1958, with "Hey Pedro" as the B-side. The single reached number 18 on Billboard's Hot 100 and number 9 on the magazine's R&B chart. In 1959, it was included on his first compilation album, Chuck Berry Is on Top.

"Ain't That Just Like a Woman (They'll Do It Every Time)" is a 1946 song written by Claude Demetrius and Fleecie Moore and recorded by Louis Jordan and Tympany Five. The song reached number one on the R&B Jukebox chart for two weeks and peaked at number seventeen on the pop chart. Chuck Berry, who acknowledged the influence of both Louis Jordan and Carl Hogan, copied the latter's guitar intro to the song for his 1958 classic "Johnny B. Goode".

"Wee Wee Hours" is a song written and recorded by Chuck Berry in 1955. Originally released as the B-side of his first single, "Maybellene", it went on to become a hit, reaching number 10 in the Billboard R&B chart.

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p.  42. ISBN   0-89820-068-7.
  2. 1 2 3 "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: 7. Chuck Berry, 'Johnny B. Goode'". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Chuck Berry, 'Johnny B. Goode'". Rolling Stone (2021 ed.). September 15, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  4. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone (2004 ed.). December 11, 2003. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Taylor, Timothy D. (2000). "Chapter 7 – His Name Was in Lights: Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode'". In Middleton, Richard (ed.). Reading Pop: Approaches to Textual Analysis in Popular Music. Oxford University Press. pp.  165–167, 177. ISBN   0-19-816611-7.
  6. ↑ "Johnny B. Goode". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 28, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  7. ↑ Ratliff, Ben (April 14, 2005). "Johnnie Johnson, 80, Dies; Inspired 'Johnny B. Goode'". New York Times . Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  8. 1 2 Altman, Billy (1988). Chuck Berry: The Chess Box (Box set booklet). Chuck Berry. Universal City, California: MCA Records/Chess Records. CHD3-80,001.
  9. ↑ Hackford, Taylor (1987), Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll, Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Delilah Films
  10. ↑ Miller, James (1999). Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947–1977. Simon & Schuster. p. 104. ISBN   0-684-80873-0.
  11. ↑ Queenan, Joe (June 21, 2007). "The story of Johnny B Goode". The Guardian. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  12. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (March 18, 2017). "How Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode' Helped Define 'Back to the Future'". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  13. ↑ Barker, Derek (2009). Liner notes to Bruce Springsteen's Jukebox: The Songs that Inspired the Man [CD]. Chrome Dreams.
  14. ↑ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll by Artists (A-C)". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 24, 2007.
  15. ↑ "Grammy Hall of Fame – Past Recipients (Letter J)". The Grammy Awards . United States: National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Charts & Awards: Buck Owens – Billboard Singles". AllMusic . Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  17. 1 2 "Johnny B. Goode - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  18. ↑ ""Johnny B. Goode" by Jimi Hendrix". New Zealand Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Charts & Awards: Peter Tosh – Billboard Singles". AllMusic . Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Peter Tosh: Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  21. ↑ ""Johnny B. Goode" by Peter Tosh" (ASP). australian-charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  22. ↑ Wakeman, Gregory (June 12, 2020). "Madonna's Choreographer Helped Michael J Fox Perfect Back To The Future's Iconic Johnny B Goode Scene". Yahoo.com . Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Johnny B. Goode by Grateful Dead Concert Statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Dareth The Man (Dareth's Blues)". Spotify . Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  25. ↑ "50 Greatest Guitar Solos". Guitar World. February 10, 2009. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  26. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 31, 2008. Archived from the original on May 31, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  27. ↑ Q Magazine. "Rocklist.net...Q Magazine Lists." rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  28. ↑ "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. February 27, 2009. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  29. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
  30. ↑ "Charts & Awards: Chuck Berry – Billboard Singles". AllMusic . Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  31. ↑ Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffmann, Frank (1994). Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. p. 26. ISBN   1563083167 . Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Chuck Berry Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved November 26, 2020. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Johnny B. Goode" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  34. ↑ "British single certifications – Chuck Berry – Johnny B Goode". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  35. ↑ "American single certifications – Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved November 18, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.