Lucille (Little Richard song)

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"Lucille"
Lucille Little Richard single.jpg
Single by Little Richard
from the album Little Richard
B-side "Send Me Some Lovin’"
ReleasedFebruary 1957 (1957-02)
RecordedJuly 30, 1956
Studio J&M (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Genre Rock and roll
Length2:21
Label Specialty
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Robert "Bumps" Blackwell
Little Richard singles chronology
"The Girl Can't Help It"
(1956)
"Lucille"
(1957)
"Jenny, Jenny"
(1957)

"Lucille" is a 1957 rock and roll song originally recorded by American musician Little Richard. Released on Specialty Records in February 1957, the single reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart, 21 on the US pop chart, [1] and number 10 on the UK chart. It was composed by Albert Collins (not to be confused with the blues guitarist Albert Collins) and Little Richard. First pressings of Specialty 78rpm credit Collins as the sole writer. Little Richard bought half of the song's rights while Collins was in Louisiana State Penitentiary. [2]

Contents

The song foreshadowed the rhythmic feel of 1960s rock music in several ways, including its heavy bassline and slower tempo, inspired by the chugging of a train the band had been riding. [3] The scene-setting sections also feature stop-time breaks and no change in harmony, and it has a darker sound because most of the instruments use a low register. [4]

Recording

Little Richard sang and played piano on his recording, backed by a band consisting of Lee Allen (tenor saxophone), Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax), Roy Montrell (guitar), Frank Fields (bass), and Earl Palmer (drums). [5]

Legacy

In 2002, "Lucille" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [6] Music critic and writer Dave Marsh included the song on his list of The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made at number 670. [7]

Other recordings

Little Richard re-recorded "Lucille", like many of his other hits, multiple times throughout his career. The first substantially different version of the song was recorded in 1964 and appeared on Little Richard's Greatest Hits . His last recording appears on the 1992 album Little Richard Meets Masayoshi Takanaka .

In 1994, Little Richard appeared on the television series Sesame Street performing a rewritten version of "Lucille" entitled "Rosita", about the Muppet character Rosita.

Cover versions

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References

  1. Jay Warner, On this Day in Black Music History (Hal Leonard, 2006), 84.
  2. "Our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". 9 May 2020.
  3. "Little RIchard Recorded LUCILLE this Day in 1957". Mybeachradio.com. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  4. Michael Campbell & James Brody (2007), Rock and Roll: An Introduction, page 117
  5. Vera, Billy. The Specialty Story 1944-1964 (Liner notes). Berkeley, California: Specialty Records. pp. 10, 35. 5SPCD-4412-2.
  6. "Grammy Hall of Fame – "Lucille": Little Richard Specialty (1957) (Single)". The Recording Academy . 2002. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  7. Marsh, Dave (1999). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Da Capo Press. p. 431. ISBN   9780306809019.
  8. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 282.
  9. "40 Years Ago Paul McCartney's Rockestra Rocked the Concerts for Kampuchea". klou.iheart.com. December 26, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  10. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 175.