Holy shit! Did you guys hear that Chuck Berry died on the 18th? Oh boy, I know that I promised another review, but Chuck Berry is one of the most important figures of Rock and Roll. I couldn't do this for George Michael, but I can do this for Chuck Berry. I'm going to look at his 1950's classic "Johnny B. Goode" to showcase how he defined what rock and roll meant. How fitting, my first review of a 1950s song is in memorial to one of the most influential men, not just in the genre, but in the industry.
The 1950s were an interesting time for the music industry, in fact it may have been the most important time. You see, before the 1950s, we still had music, but we didn't have mainstream music like we do today, most of the music before the 1950s was blues artists like Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. This lead into the 1950s where we got rock and roll thanks to many artists, notably Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats who made "Rocket 88" which is often considered to be the first rock and roll song, being released back in 1951 predating "Rock Around the Clock" which was released in 1954. The rock and roll sound was derived from the blues sound prior, hence why Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters are important names in rock history. From this, we got teenagers, yes the teen age group actually dates back to the 1950s, maybe a touch further back or so. Of course, just like today, marketers found dollar signs in their eyes and started making more music that was different from the Doo-wop and Jazz that was popular at the time. This is really where the advent of rock and roll, teen idols and pop stars begins.
Of course, in 1959 we got the iconic Billboard Hot 100 that has become the measuring stick for charting popular music for future generations, and before than it was Top 50 or Top 40. Believe it or not, Rock and Roll was one of the first, if not the first popular genre of music. Rock and Roll is an ever changing genre, there was a time when Johnny Cash was considered Rock and Roll, and The Everly Brothers and Fats Domino even though by today's standards they are not really rock and roll. Rock and Roll reflects the time period it was in, but sometimes a song falls out of that time period and into the realm of being timeless.
With all of that context, remember that rock in the 1950s, sounds more like "Jailhouse Rock" instead of "Twist and Shout", the use of the electric guitar didn't become a staple of rock and roll until the 1960s, even though it existed since the 1930s. This is where Chuck Berry comes in, because although it was the Blues and Skiffle that made Rock and Roll popular in England, it was mostly Chuck Berry who helped it come through in America. Without Chuck Berry, we wouldn't have gotten many of the groups we have today.
"Johnny B. Goode" is Chuck Berry's most well known song, and although I would usually avoid talking about it, I may as well cover it now, it would feel wrong to do this at any other point.
The song is partly autobiographical, mostly about Chuck Berry himself, although he also noted somebody else when it comes to song inspirations. The lyrics don't make this to much of a big deal though, and mostly just talk about this "Country boy" who plays a guitar "like ringing a bell", which can either mean the guitar sounds like a ringing bell, or that playing the guitar to him is as easy as ringing a bell. I also like the ending verse, "His mother told him 'someday you will be a man'/ 'And you will be the leader of a big ol' band/... Maybe someday your name will be in light/ Saying Johnny B. Goode Tonight." and the chorus itself also is on the same lines. Although the song may be partly autobiographical, the song itself can actually be pretty uplifting if you listen to it.
Chuck Berry is also a master guitarist. Just listen to the opening riff and you can practically hear rock and roll history. It's amazing to think that hundreds, if not thousands of bands and songs can trace their inspiration all that way back to this opening riff. Although his vocals are not the greatest, this was the 1950s, so I do give it a little bit of leeway, and besides he didn't have the worst voice at the time, and there are vocalists who should not be singing at all. Let's just say, Chuck Berry isn't the best singer, but neither is John Mellencamp and both are pretty good.
I don't care if you are a rock fan, a rap fan, a pop fan or a fan of any other music genre, you have to hear "Johnny B. Goode" at least once. Yeah, this is similar to my "Back in Black" review, where I talk about why the song is important over the actual song itself, but you know what? Rock and Roll needed a place to start, and Chuck Berry defined so many things about the genre, that he has earned the status of rock god.
I'm the Entity of Darkness, and Chuck, you will be missed. Rock in Peace man, rock in peace.
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