Roll Over Beethoven
| "Roll Over Beethoven" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Chuck Berry | ||||
| B-side | "Drifting Heart" | |||
| Released | May 1956 | |||
| Format | 7" 45 rpm & 10" 78 rpm record | |||
| Recorded | April 16, 1956[1] | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:23 | |||
| Label | Chess #1626 | |||
| Writer(s) | Chuck Berry | |||
| Producer | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess | |||
| Chuck Berry singles chronology | ||||
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"Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 hit single 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 replace classical music. The song has been covered by many other artists and Rolling Stone ranked it #97 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[2]
Inspiration and lyrics
According to Rolling Stone[3] and Cub Koda of Allmusic,[4] Berry wrote the song in response to his sister Lucy always using the family piano to play classical music when Berry wanted to play contemporary popular music.
In addition to classical composers Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, the lyrics mention or allude to several popular artists. "Early in the Mornin'" is the title of a Louis Jordan song and "Blue Suede Shoes" refers to the Carl Perkins song. Finally, "Hey Diddle Diddle" which comes from the nursery rhyme, "The Cat and the Fiddle", is an indirect reference to Berry's Chess stablemate Bo Diddley, who was an accomplished violin player. Although the lyrics mention rocking and rolling, the music that the classics are supposed to step aside for is always referred to as "rhythm and blues" (R&B). Arthur Alexander appropriated the lyric "a shot of rhythm and blues" for the title of his later song.
Later in the song, a "rhythm revue" describes the old style R&B show with many featured artists appearing on one bill in front of a big band.
Release
Berry's version was originally released as a single by Chess Records in May 1956 with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side.[5] "Roll Over Beethoven" and three other Berry songs appeared on the Rock, Rock, Rock album, ostensibly a soundtrack to the film of the same name, but only four of the twelve songs on the album appeared in the film.
There have been many subsequent releases on compilation albums.
Critical acclaim
In 2003, Berry's single was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. In 2004, "Roll Over Beethoven" was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In the accompanying review, they wrote that it "became the ultimate rock & roll call to arms, declaring a new era".
However, some Chuck Berry fans claim that the intro sounds similar, if not identical, to Chuck Berry's most famous hit, "Johnny B. Goode". The sheet music itself is very similar.[6] Koda calls it a "masterpiece" that helped to define the rock and roll genre.[4]
Cover versions
| "Roll Over Beethoven" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by The Beatles from the album With the Beatles | ||||
| Released | November 22, 1963 | |||
| Recorded | July 30, 1963 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:48 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Writer | Chuck Berry | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| With the Beatles track listing | ||||
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"Roll Over Beethoven" is one of the most widely covered songs in popular music – "a staple of rock & roll bands" according to Koda[4] – with notable versions by Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles and the Electric Light Orchestra. Other covers were recorded by Mountain, Ten Years After, Raul Seixas, Leon Russell, Status Quo, The Rolling Stones, The Byrds, The 13th Floor Elevators, The Sonics, Wes Paul, Gene Vincent, Quartz, Johnny Winter, Uriah Heep, Kickhunter, Johnny Rivers, M. Ward, Iron Maiden, and Margaret Lewis.
The Beatles
"Roll Over Beethoven" was a favorite of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison even before they had chosen "the Beatles" as their name, and they continued to play it live right into their American tours of 1964. Their version of "Roll Over Beethoven" was recorded on July 30, 1963 for their second British LP, With the Beatles, and features Harrison on vocals and guitar.[7][8] In the United States, it was released April 10, 1964 as the opening track of The Beatles' Second Album.[9] and May 11, 1964 as the opening track of the second Capitol EP "Four by the Beatles". It was considered for a single release by Capitol until George Martin convinced Capitol Records to release "Can't Buy Me Love" as the new single instead.
In 1994, the Beatles released a live version of "Roll Over Beethoven" on Live at the BBC. This live version was recorded on February 28, 1964 and broadcast on March 30, 1964 as part of a BBC series starring the Beatles called From Us to You.[10] This version of "Roll Over Beethoven" was used in the film Superman III directed by Richard Lester who also directed the Beatles' first two films, Help! and A Hard Day's Night.
The Rutles' song "Blue Suede Schubert" is based on the Beatles' cover of this song.
Personnel
- George Harrison – double-tracked vocals, lead guitar
- John Lennon – handclaps, rhythm guitar
- Paul McCartney – handclaps, bass
- Ringo Starr – drums
Electric Light Orchestra
| "Roll Over Beethoven" | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Electric Light Orchestra | ||||||||||||
| from the album ELO 2 | ||||||||||||
| B-side | "Queen of the Hours" | |||||||||||
| Released | 12 January 1973 (UK) 27 January 1973 (US) |
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| Format | 7" single | |||||||||||
| Recorded | 1972, at Air Studios | |||||||||||
| Genre | Rock and roll, art rock | |||||||||||
| Length | 8:09 (US album version) 7:03 (UK album version) 4:32 (single) 3:42 (US promo single) |
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| Label | Harvest | |||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Chuck Berry/Ludwig van Beethoven | |||||||||||
| Producer | Jeff Lynne | |||||||||||
| Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology | ||||||||||||
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Electric Light Orchestra's (ELO) elaborate eight-minute reworking of "Roll Over Beethoven", appearing on the album ELO 2 in 1973, included an opening musical quote from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and clever interpolations of material from the symphony's first movement into Berry's song. This became ELO's signature song and was used to close all of their concerts.[citation needed] "Roll Over Beethoven" was the second single released by the band in January 1972, and became their second consecutive top ten hit in the UK, as well as a hit in the United States when an edited version of the track was taken from ELO 2.
Chart positions
| Chart (1973) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart[11] | 53 |
| Dutch GfK chart[12] | 19 |
| German Media Control Singles Chart[13] | 22 |
| UK Singles Chart[14] | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[15] | 42 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles | 48 |
| U.S. Record World Singles[16] | 31 |
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden included a cover of the Berry song on the B-side of their single "From Here to Eternity", called "Roll Over Vic Vella". The song features different lyrics (written by Steve Harris) about the band's long-time tour manager, Vic Vella.
Narvel Felts
Narvel Felts covered the song in 1982. His version went to #64 on the Hot Country Singles charts in 1982.[17]
In pop culture
- The song, covered by Paul Shaffer, serves as the theme song for the 1992 family film Beethoven and its sequel Beethoven's 2nd. This is primarily because the title character, is a St. Bernard, and the line "Roll Over, Beethoven" fits perfectly
References
- ^ 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Chuck Berry (CD). MCA Records. 1999. MCAD-11944.
- ^ Roll Over Beethoven, The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
- ^ "Rolling Stone Review of "Roll Over Beethoven"". Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c ""AMG Review of Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven"". Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ Dietmar Rudolph. "A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry: The Chess Era (1955-1966)". Retrieved March 1, 2007.
- ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". New York, NY: Rolling Stone. December 9, 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-06-22. Retrieved December 26, 2011.[not in citation given (See discussion.)]
- ^ Mark Lewisohn (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. pp. 34, 37. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
- ^ Show 5 - Hail, Hail, Rock 'n' Roll: The rock revolution gets underway. [Part 1] : UNT Digital Library
- ^ Mark Lewisohn (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. p. 201.
- ^ Live at the BBC (booklet). London: Apple Records. 1994. 31796.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discografie Electric Light Orchestra". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ "charts.de - Electric Light Orchestra". charts.de. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ "Electric Light Orchestra". Offfical Charts Company. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ^ "Electric Light Orchestra - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
- ^ Hawtin, Steve. "Song artist 171 - Electric Light Orchestra". Tsort.info. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 143. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
External links
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