Memphis, Tennessee (song)

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"Memphis, Tennessee"
Memphis, Tennessee - Chuck Berry.jpg
Single by Chuck Berry
A-side "Back in the U.S.A."
ReleasedJune 1959
RecordedSeptember 26, 1958 [1]
Genre Rhythm and blues, rock and roll
Length2:12
Label Chess 1729
Songwriter(s) Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry singles chronology
"Almost Grown"
(1959)
"Memphis, Tennessee"
(1959)
"Broken Arrow"
(1959)

"Memphis, Tennessee", sometimes shortened to "Memphis", is a song by Chuck Berry, first released in 1959. In the UK, the song charted at number 6 in 1963; at the same time Decca Records issued a cover version in the UK by Dave Berry and the Cruisers, which also became a UK Top 20 hit single. Johnny Rivers's version of the song was a number two US hit in 1964.

Contents

Background

In the song the narrator is speaking to a long-distance operator, trying to find out the number of a girl named Marie, who lives in Memphis, Tennessee, "on the southside, high upon a ridge, just a half a mile from the Mississippi bridge". [2] The narrator offers little information to the operator at first, only that he misses Marie and that they were separated by Marie's mother. The final verse reveals that Marie is, in fact, the narrator's six-year-old daughter; her mother, presumably the narrator's ex-wife, "tore apart our happy home" because she "did not agree", as it turned out, with their marriage, not his relationship with Marie, as the listener was misdirected to assume. This song was recorded in St. Louis at Chuck Berry's home, in July 1958.

The song was released on Chess Records in June 1959, Catalogue #1729. [3]

Chuck Berry later composed a sequel, "Little Marie", which appeared in 1964 as a single and on the album St. Louis to Liverpool . [4]

Personnel

Beatles versions

The Beatles recorded five versions of "Memphis, Tennessee", for BBC Radio. One version that was recorded on July 30, 1963, for the Pop Go the Beatles radio show was included on Live at the BBC in 1994. Another version that was recorded a few months later on October 5, 1963, for the Saturday Club radio show was included on On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 in 2013.

The group first performed it for their failed Decca audition on January 1, 1962, with Pete Best on drums. [5]

John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono would later perform the song with Berry on an episode of The Mike Douglas Show , aired on February 16, 1972. [6] During the performance, Ono attempted to add her own wailing vocalizations to the song, which visibly startled Berry; eventually, technicians disconnected Ono's microphone for the remainder of the set. This infamous rendition of the song would later become the subject of a skit by Bill Burr.

Personnel

"Memphis"
Single by Lonnie Mack
from the album The Wham of that Memphis Man!
B-side "Down in the Dumps"
ReleasedSeptember 1963 (1963)
RecordedJune 1963
Genre Instrumental rock, blues rock
Length2:30
Label Fraternity
Songwriter(s) Chuck Berry
Lonnie Mack singles chronology
"Memphis"
(1963)
"Wham!"
(1963)

In 1963, guitarist Lonnie Mack recorded a fast-paced instrumental version, which he called "Memphis". It went to number 5 on Billboard's Pop chart and number 4 on Billboard's R&B chart. [7]

"Memphis"
Memphis - Johnny Rivers.jpg
Single by Johnny Rivers
from the album At the Whisky à Go Go
B-side "It Wouldn't Happen with Me"
ReleasedMay 1964 (1964)
RecordedJanuary 1964
Venue Whisky a Go Go, West Hollywood
Genre Rock and roll, rhythm and blues
Length2:28
Label Imperial
Songwriter(s) Chuck Berry
Johnny Rivers singles chronology
"Dream Doll"
(1964)
"Memphis"
(1964)
"Oh What a Kiss"
(1964)

In 1964 singer Johnny Rivers recorded another version of the tune (which he, following Mack, called "Memphis"), copying Mack's pacing and some of his instrumental improvisations, and reinstating the vocal line from Berry's original. [8] This version hit number 2 on Billboard's Pop chart.

"Memphis"
Single by Fred Knoblock
B-side "Love Isn't Easy"
Released1981 (1981)
Recorded1981
Genre Country music
Length2:35
Label Scotti Brothers ZS5 02434
Songwriter(s) Chuck Berry
Producer(s) James Stroud
Fred Knoblock singles chronology
"Killin' Time"
(1980)
"Memphis"
(1981)
"I Had It All"
(1982)

In 1981, country singer-songwriter Fred Knoblock recorded his rendition of "Memphis". It went to number 10 on Billboard's Country chart and number 28 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chuck Berry
Chart (1963)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [9] 3
UK [10] 6
Dave Berry & the Cruisers
Chart (1963)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [9] 9
UK [11] 19
Lonnie Mack

Notable covers

The song has been covered over 200 times by musical artists. [23] The most notable examples include Bernd Spier who hit number 1 in 1964 in Germany. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Rivers</span> American rock musician

Johnny Rivers is a retired American musician. He achieved commercial success and popularity throughout the 1960s and 1970s as a singer and guitarist, characterized as a versatile and influential artist. Rivers is best known for his 1960s output, having popularized the mid-60s discotheque scene through his live rock and roll recordings at Los Angeles' Whiskey a Go Go nightclub, and later shifting to a more orchestral, soul-oriented sound during the latter half of the decade. These developments were reflected by his most notable string of hit singles between 1964 and 1968, many of them covers. They include "Memphis", "Mountain of Love", "The Seventh Son", "Secret Agent Man", "Poor Side of Town", "Baby I Need Your Lovin'", and "Summer Rain". Ultimately, Rivers landed 9 top ten hits and 17 top forty hits on US charts from 1964 to 1977.

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References

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  3. Berry, Chuck, Chuck Berry: The Anthology, CD, 088 1120304-2, MCA Records, Chess, 2000, liner notes
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