Rock and Roll Never Forgets

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"Rock and Roll Never Forgets"
Rock and Roll Never Forgets.jpg
Single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
from the album Night Moves
B-side
  • "The Fire Down Below" (US)
  • "Ship of Fools" (UK)
ReleasedJune 1977
Genre Heartland rock [1]
Length3:52 (album version)
3:27 (single version)
Label Capitol
Songwriter(s) Bob Seger
Producer(s) Bob Seger, Punch Andrews
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band singles chronology
"Mainstreet"
(1977)
"Rock and Roll Never Forgets"
(1977)
"Still the Same"
(1978)

"Rock and Roll Never Forgets" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger. The song first appeared on Seger's ninth studio album Night Moves (1976). The song was released in early 1977 as the third and final single from the album. The song peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, charting less successfully than the previous two singles. [2] Nevertheless, "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" remains popular with Seger fans, and has become a staple of classic rock radio.

Contents

Background

According to Seger, he wrote this song after attending a high school reunion. "I wanted to just write an honest appraisal of where I was at that moment in time," he said. "I was 31 years old and I was damn glad to be here." The song is accompanied by a mid-tempo sound and Seger's signature raspy vocals. [3]

Seger expanded:

A song like "Rock 'n' Roll Never Forgets" is just slammin’. When we play that song live people go nuts. At that point in my life I was 31 years old. And the first 10 or 11 years in my career I was making six, eight grand a year and just doin’ it because I loved the music. So I’m writing for Night Moves and I just felt grateful; here I am and I’m starting to make it. You know, rock ’n’ roll never forgets. You build up goodwill over 10 years and you set the stage. "Rock 'n' Roll Never Forgets" is a grateful song. I’m grateful to all the people I played for in those small clubs, on the top of cafeteria tables, in gymnasiums and in hockey rinks. Suddenly all those people came out and bought my records and said: “I remember him. I saw him at the high school or hockey rink.” [4]

The song is about aging and the ongoing power of rock music. The song advises the 31 year old listener to return to the rock 'n' roll she loved when she was 16. [5] The song also serves as a tribute to Chuck Berry, who is mentioned in the line "Well all of Chuck's children are out there playing his licks/Get into your kicks/Come back baby rock and roll never forgets." [5]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Seger's 2003 Greatest Hits 2 compilation. [6]

The Silver Bullet Band

Reception

Rolling Stone praised the song as "no-bullshit, horn-slathered Silver Bullet crunch with a nod to Chuck Berry (who's name-checked in the last verse) – makes the case for rock's longevity as well as the lyrics do." [7] Billboard said that the "standard riffs played at intense energy levels by the rhythm section make an almost ironic counterpoint to the Van Morrison-type lyrics about the funky fun of the golden days of young rock music." [8] Cash Box said that it "rocks the hardest [among the Night Moves singles], without losing the melodic and harmonic interest" and that a "really catchy intro is icing on the cake as this record builds to an exciting close with rollicking horns and a turned-on lead vocal." [9] Record World said that "it's infectious, fast-paced rock 'n' roll with a wistful message." [10]

Classic Rock History critic Janey Roberts rated it as Seger's 6th best song, calling it "One of the greatest album-opening rock and roll songs ever released." [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Seger</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1945)

Robert Clark Seger is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, breaking through with his first album, Ramblin' Gamblin' Man in 1969. By the early 1970s, he had dropped the 'System' from his recordings and continued to strive for broader success with various other bands. In 1973, he put together the Silver Bullet Band, with a group of Detroit-area musicians, with whom he became most successful on the national level with the album Live Bullet (1976), recorded live with the Silver Bullet Band in 1975 at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan. In 1976, he achieved a national breakout with the studio album Night Moves. On his studio albums, he also worked extensively with the Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, which appeared on several of Seger's best-selling singles and albums.

<i>Night Moves</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

Night Moves is the ninth studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bob Seger, and his first studio album to credit the Silver Bullet Band. The album was released by Capitol Records on October 22, 1976. Although the front cover only credits backing by the Silver Bullet Band, four of the nine songs on the album feature backing by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night Moves (Bob Seger song)</span> 1976 single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

"Night Moves" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger. It was the lead single from his ninth studio album of the same name (1976), which was released on Capitol Records. Seger wrote the song as a coming of age tale about adolescent love and adult memory of it. It was based on Seger's own teenage love affair he experienced in the early 1960s. It took him six months to write and was recorded quickly at Nimbus Nine Studios in Toronto, Ontario, with producer Jack Richardson. As much of Seger's Silver Bullet Band had returned home by this point, the song was recorded with several local session musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turn the Page (Bob Seger song)</span> 1971 Bob Seger song

"Turn the Page" is a song originally recorded by Bob Seger in 1971 and released on his Back in '72 album in 1973. It was not released as a single until Seger's live version of the song on the 1976 Live Bullet album got released in Germany and the UK. The song became a mainstay of album-oriented rock radio stations, and still gets significant airplay on classic rock stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Like a Rock (song)</span> 1986 single by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band

"Like a Rock" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger. The single peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Against the Wind (Bob Seger song)</span> 1980 single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

"Against the Wind" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Bob Seger for his eleventh studio album of the same name. It was released as the second single from the album in April 1980 through Capitol Records. Seger recorded the ballad during a two-year process that begat his eleventh album; it was recorded with producer Bill Szymczyk at Criteria Studios in north Miami, Florida. Sonically, "Against the Wind" is a mid-tempo soft rock tune with piano backing. It was recorded with Seger's Silver Bullet Band, and features backing vocals from Eagles co-frontman Glenn Frey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Get Enough (Bad Company song)</span> 1974 single by Bad Company

"Can't Get Enough" is the debut single by English rock supergroup Bad Company. Appearing on the band's 1974 self-titled debut album, it is their biggest hit and is considered their most popular song. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and No. 1 on Cashbox magazine's Top 100 Singles chart. The song is also frequently played on classic rock radio stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire Lake</span> 1980 single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

"Fire Lake" is a song written and recorded by the American musical artist Bob Seger. He had planned to record "Fire Lake" for his 1975 album Beautiful Loser, but the track was not finished. The song had been partly written years before, in 1971, and was finally finished in 1979 and released in 1980 on Seger's album Against the Wind. The single reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. A live version of the song appeared on the album Nine Tonight, released in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Time Rock and Roll</span> 1979 single by Bob Seger

"Old Time Rock and Roll" is a song written by George Jackson and Thomas E. Jones III, with uncredited lyrics by Bob Seger. It was recorded by Seger for his tenth studio album Stranger in Town. It was also released as a single in 1979. It is a sentimentalized look back at the music of the original rock 'n' roll era and has often been referenced as Seger's favorite song. The song gained renewed popularity after being featured in the 1983 film Risky Business. It has since become a standard in popular music and was ranked number two on the Amusement & Music Operators Association's survey of the Top 40 Jukebox Singles of All Time in 1996. It was also listed as one of the Songs of the Century in 2001 and ranked No. 100 in the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Songs poll in 2004 of the top songs in American cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shame on the Moon</span> 1982 single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

"Shame on the Moon" is a song written by Rodney Crowell and first recorded in 1981. It was covered by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band as the lead single from their 1982 album The Distance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roll Me Away</span> 1983 single by Bob Seger

"Roll Me Away" is a song written by American rock artist Bob Seger on the album The Distance by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. The song was used as Seger's opening song on his Face the Promise tour in 2006–2007, his first tour in a decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Never Can Tell (song)</span> 1964 single by Chuck Berry

"You Never Can Tell", also known as "C'est La Vie" or "Teenage Wedding", is a song written by Chuck Berry. It was composed in the early 1960s while Berry was in federal prison for violating the Mann Act. Released in 1964 on the album St. Louis to Liverpool and the follow-up single to Berry's final Top Ten hit of the 1960s: "No Particular Place to Go", "You Never Can Tell" reached number 14, becoming Berry's final Top 40 hit until "My Ding-a-Ling", a number 1 in October 1972. The song performed slightly better in Canada, and also reached the Top 40 in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramblin' Gamblin' Man (song)</span> 1968 single by Bob Seger System

"Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Seger. The song was originally released as a single in October 1968, then as a track on the album of the same name in April 1969. The single fared well, reaching No. 17 on the national charts. The original studio version, released in mono, had been unavailable to the public until it was included on Seger's compilation album Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets (2011). It was Bob Seger's first top 20 hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katmandu (song)</span> 1975 single by Bob Seger

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mainstreet</span> 1977 single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

"Mainstreet" is a song written and recorded by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. It was released in April 1977 as the second single from the album Night Moves. The song peaked at number 24 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and has become a staple of classic rock radio; it also reached number one on the Canadian Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Nights</span> 1978 single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

"Hollywood Nights" is a song written and recorded by American rock artist Bob Seger. It was released in 1978 as the second single from his album, Stranger in Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Still the Same (Bob Seger song)</span> 1978 single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

"Still the Same" is a 1978 song written and recorded by the American singer Bob Seger. It hit #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Storm</span> 1986 single by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band

"American Storm" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger. It was recorded with The Silver Bullet Band and released in March 1986 as the lead single from their album Like a Rock. The single peaked at number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number 2 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beautiful Loser (song)</span> 1975 single by Bob Seger

"Beautiful Loser" is a song written and recorded by American rock artist Bob Seger. It was the title track on his 1975 studio album Beautiful Loser. The single just missed inclusion on the US Top 100, but became more widely known when it was included on Seger's breakout album, 'Live' Bullet (1976), where it was paired with "Travelin' Man".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gone, Gone, Gone (Bad Company song)</span> 1979 single by Bad Company

"Gone, Gone, Gone" is a song by English rock band Bad Company. The song was released as the second and final single from the band's fifth studio album Desolation Angels. The song peaked at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 25, 1979.

References

  1. Hopper, Alex (September 12, 2022). "Top 10 Heartland Rock Songs From Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and More". American Songwriter. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  2. "Bob Seger: Charts & Awards – Billboard Singles". United States: AllMusic . Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  3. "Rock and Roll Never Forgets". Songfacts. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  4. Sharp, Ken (September 10, 2018). "How Bob Seger changed the face of American Music". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Dean, Maury (2003). Rock 'n' Roll Gold Rush. Algora Publishing. pp. 359–360. ISBN   087586208X.
  6. Greatest Hits 2 (CD). Bob Seger. Capitol Records. 2003. CDP 7243 8 52772 0 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. "Bob Seger: 15 Songs You Can Stream Now". Rolling Stone . June 17, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  8. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. July 2, 1977. p. 80. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  9. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 2, 1977. p. 18. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  10. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. July 2, 1977. p. 1. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  11. Roberts, Janey (June 17, 2022). "Top 20 Bob Seger songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved January 22, 2023.