Roll Over Beethoven#Electric Light Orchestra
{{Short description|Original song written and composed by Chuck Berry}}
{{About||the television series|Roll Over Beethoven (TV series)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Roll Over Beethoven
| cover = Rolloverbeethoven1.png
| alt =
| caption = A-side label of US single
| type = single
| artist = Chuck Berry
| album =
| B-side = Drifting Heart
| released = {{Start date|1956|05}}
| studio = Universal Recording Corp. (Chicago){{cite web |title=The Chuck Berry Database Details For Recording Session: 19. 4. 1956|url=http://www.crlf.de/ChuckBerry/cbdb/session/8-1956-04-19%2000:00:00.html |website=A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry |publisher=Dietmar Rudolph |access-date=25 November 2022}}
| venue =
| genre = Rock and roll
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=23}}
| label = Chess #1626
| writer = Chuck Berry
| producer = Leonard Chess, Phil Chess
| prev_title = No Money Down
| prev_year = 1955
| next_title = Too Much Monkey Business
| next_year = 1956
}}
"Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 song written 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 be as respected as classical music. The song has been covered by many other artists, including the Rolling Stones and the Beatles (both in 1963). Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 97 on its 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/chuck-berry-roll-over-beethoven-19691231 |title=500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Chuck Berry, 'Roll over Beethoven' | Rolling Stone | Lists |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=2011-06-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604173020/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/chuck-berry-roll-over-beethoven-19691231 |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |df=mdy }}
Inspiration and lyrics
According to Rolling Stone{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/chuck-berry-roll-over-beethoven-19691231 |title=Rolling Stone Review of "Roll Over Beethoven" |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=December 11, 2003 |access-date=June 17, 2011}} and Cub Koda of AllMusic,{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t3692254|pure_url=yes}} |title="AMG Review of Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" |access-date=June 17, 2011}} Berry wrote the song in response to his sister Lucy always using the family piano to play classical music when Berry wanted to play popular music. According to biographer Bruce Pegg, the song was "inspired in part by the rivalry between his sister Lucy's classical music training and Berry's own self-taught, rough-and-ready music preference".Brown Eyed Handsome Man, p. 58.
In addition to the classical composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the lyrics mention or allude to several popular artists: "Early in the Mornin'" is the title of a Louis Jordan song; "Blue Suede Shoes" refers to the Carl Perkins song; and "hey diddle diddle", from the nursery rhyme "The Cat and the Fiddle", is an indirect reference to the Chess recording artist 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 referred to as "rhythm and blues". The lyric "a shot of rhythm and blues" was appropriated as the title of a song recorded by Arthur Alexander and others.
Recording
The song was recorded at Universal Recording Corporation in Chicago, Illinois on April 19, 1956.
- Chuck Berry, vocals and guitar
- Johnnie Johnson on piano
- Willie Dixon on bass
- Melvin Billups on drums
The session was produced by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil. The song was released as Chess single 1626.Berry, Chuck, Chuck Berry: The Anthology, CD, 088 1120304-2, MCA Records, Chess, 2000, liner notes
Release
Berry's version was originally released as a single by Chess Records in May 1956, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side.{{cite web |url=http://www.crlf.de/ChuckBerry/chessupto1966.html |title=A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry: The Chess Era (1955–1966) |author= Rudolph, Dietmar |access-date=March 1, 2007}}
It peaked at number two on the Billboard R&B chart and number 29 on the pop chart. "Roll Over Beethoven" and three other Berry songs were included on the album Rock, Rock, Rock, promoted as the soundtrack of the film of the same name, but only four of the 12 songs on the album were used in the film.
"Roll Over Beethoven" has been released numerous times on compilation albums, including Chuck Berry Twist and The Chess Box.
Legacy
Berry's single was one of 50 recordings chosen in 2003 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". The accompanying review stated that it "became the ultimate rock & roll call to arms, declaring a new era".
Koda calls it a "masterpiece" that helped to define rock and roll.
In 1990, the 1956 recording of the song by Chuck Berry on Chess Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.{{Cite web | title=GRAMMY Hall Of Fame {{!}} Hall of Fame Artists {{!}} GRAMMY.com | url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#r | access-date=2025-02-26 | website=www.grammy.com}}
Cover versions
"Roll Over Beethoven" is one of the most widely covered songs in popular music – "a staple of rock and roll bands", according to Koda – with notable versions by Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and Linda Gail Lewis (#12 Can{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.4476.pdf| title=RPM Top 50 Country Singles - January 31, 1970}}), the Beatles, Carl Perkins, and Electric Light Orchestra.
=The Beatles=
{{Infobox song
| name = Roll Over Beethoven
| cover = File:The Beatles - Roll Over Beethoven Canadian single label.png
| alt =
| caption = 1963 Canadian single label
| type = song
| artist = the Beatles
| album = With the Beatles
| released = 22 November 1963
| recorded = 30 July 1963
| venue = EMI, London
| genre = Rock and roll
| length = 2:48
| label = Parlophone
| writer = Chuck Berry
| producer = George Martin
}}
"Roll Over Beethoven" was a favourite of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison even before they chose "the Beatles" as their name, and they continued to perform it 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.{{cite book |author=Mark Lewisohn |author-link=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |year=1988 |pages=34, 37 |publisher=Harmony Books |location=New York |isbn=0-517-57066-1}}{{cite web|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19751/m1/ |title=Show 5 - Hail, Hail, Rock 'n' Roll: The rock revolution gets underway. [Part 1] : UNT Digital Library |website=Digital.library.unt.edu |date=2016-08-17 |access-date=2016-08-22}} In the United States, it was released April 10, 1964, as the opening track of The Beatles' Second Album,{{cite book |author=Mark Lewisohn |author-link=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |year=1988 |page=201}} and on May 11, 1964, as the opening track of the second Capitol EP, Four by the Beatles. It was released by Capitol in Canada with "Please Mister Postman" as the B-side, reaching number 2 on the CHUM Charts.{{cite web|url=http://hitsofalldecades.com/chart_hits/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=856&Itemid=52| title=CHUM Top 20 Singles - January 20, 1964}} This release reached number 68 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100{{cite book |last= Whitburn|first= Joel|date= 2011|title= Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles|location= Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|publisher= Record Research |page= 67|isbn= 978-0898201888}} and number 30 on the Cash Box Singles chart.{{cite book| first= Frank| last= Hoffmann| year= 1983| title= The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950–1981| publisher= The Scarecrow Press| location= Metuchen, New Jersey, and London| page= 34}} In Sweden, it peaked at number 11 on the Kvällstoppen Chart.{{cite web|title=Swedish Charts 1962–March 1966/Kvällstoppen – Listresultaten vecka för vecka > Juni 1964|url=http://www.hitsallertijden.nl/charts/swedish%20charts/SwedishCharts1962-march66.pdf|publisher=hitsallertijden.nl|language=sv|access-date=27 June 2018}} In Australia, it peaked at number one,{{cite book
| last=Kent
| first=David
| year=2009
| page=203
| author-link=David Kent (historian)
| title=Australian Chart Book:Australian Chart Chronicles (1940–2008)
| publisher=Australian Chart Book
| location=Turramurra
| isbn=9780646512037
}} with "Hold Me Tight" as the B-side, as did it in Denmark.{{Cite web |title=The Beatles - Salgshitlisterne Top 20 |url=http://danskehitlister.dk/?artist_id=26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104013806/http://danskehitlister.dk/?artist_id=26 |archive-date=2013-11-04 |access-date=2022-08-02 |website=Danske Hitlister}}
In 1994, the Beatles released a live version of "Roll Over Beethoven" on Live at the BBC. This version had been 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.{{cite AV media notes |title=Live at the BBC |title-link =Live at the BBC (The Beatles album) |year=1994 |others=The Beatles |type=booklet |publisher=Apple Records |location=London |id=31796}} 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, A Hard Day's Night and Help!. In 1995, a live version from an October 1963 performance at the Karlaplansstudion in Stockholm was released on Anthology 1.
==Personnel==
- George Harrison – double-tracked vocals, lead guitar, handclaps
- John Lennon – rhythm guitar, handclaps
- Paul McCartney – bass, handclaps
- Ringo Starr – drums, handclaps
=Electric Light Orchestra=
{{Infobox song
| name = Roll Over Beethoven
| cover = Rolloverbeethoven.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Electric Light Orchestra
| album = ELO 2
| B-side = Queen of the Hours
| released = 12 January 1973 (UK)
27 January 1973 (US)
| recorded = September 8, 1972{{cite web |title=Electric Light Orchestra - Roll Over Beethoven |url=http://www.jefflynnesongs.com/popup.php?data=RollOverBeethoven197312_popupplus |website=Jeff Lynne Song Database}}
| studio = AIR, London
| venue =
| genre = Progressive rock,{{cite web|author=Bruce Eder |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/elo-ii-mw0000468889 |title=Electric Light Orchestra II - Electric Light Orchestra | Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2016-08-22}} glam rock{{cite web|url=http://www.stereogum.com/1903210/34-essential-glam-songs/franchises/ultimate-playlist/|title=34 Essential Glam Songs|date=January 5, 2017|website=stereogum.com}}
| length = 8:09 (US album version)
7:03 (UK album version)
4:32 (Single version)
3:42 (US promo single version)
| label = Harvest
| writer = Chuck Berry/Ludwig van Beethoven
| producer = Jeff Lynne
| prev_title = 10538 Overture
| prev_year = 1972
| next_title = Showdown
| next_year = 1973
| misc = {{Extra track listing
| album = ELO 2
| type = studio
| tracks = {{ELO 2 tracks}}
}}
}}
Electric Light Orchestra's (ELO) elaborate eight-minute reworking of "Roll Over Beethoven", on the album ELO 2 in 1973, included an opening musical quote from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and interpolations of material from the symphony's first movement into Berry's song and Peter Gunn theme in the background. This became one of ELO's signature songs and has been used to close the majority of their concerts. It is also the most-performed song by the band.{{cite web |url=https://www.setlist.fm/stats/electric-light-orchestra-63d6be6b.html |title=Electric Light Orchestra Tour Statistics | setlist.fm |website=setlist.fm }} "Roll Over Beethoven" was the second single released by the band, in January 1973, and became their second consecutive top ten hit in the UK. An edited version of the track from ELO 2 was a #42 hit in the United States.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}
File:ELO Roll Over Beethoven.jpg]]
Chicago radio superstation WLS, which gave the song much airplay, ranked "Roll Over Beethoven" as the 89th most popular hit of 1973.{{cite web|url=http://www.wlshistory.com/big89/1973.htm |title=The WLS Big 89 of 1973 |publisher=Wlshistory.com }} It reached as high as number 8 (for two weeks) on their surveys of September 1 and 8, 1973.{{cite web |url=http://www.users.qwest.net/~oldiesloon/wls090873.htm |title=wls090873 |website=Users.qwest.net |date=1973-09-08 |access-date=2016-08-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009151123/http://www.users.qwest.net/~oldiesloon/wls090873.htm |archive-date=October 9, 2016 |df=mdy-all }} The song reached number six on the competing station WCFL.{{cite web|url=http://www.oldiesloon.com/ilc/wcfl730901 |title=wcfl730901 |website=Oldiesloon.com |date=1973-09-01 |access-date=2016-08-22}}
==Chart performance==
{{col-begin|width=65%}}
{{col-2}}
===Weekly charts===
{{col-2}}
===Year-end charts===
| class="wikitable" |
| align="left"|Chart (1973)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank |
|---|
| Canada{{cite web |url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=9481& |title= Singles chart|website=www.bac-lac.gc.ca|date= July 17, 2013|access-date=2021-01-03}}
| style="text-align:center;"|167 |
| U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual){{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |date=1999 |title=Pop Annual |location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin |publisher=Record Research Inc. |isbn=0-89820-142-X}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 250 |
{{col-end}}
=Rolling Stones=
On 26 October 1963, the Rolling Stones recorded "Roll Over Beethoven" for the Saturday Club (BBC Radio) but not released until 1 December 2017 on the album On Air.{{Cite magazine |last=Hermes |first=Will |date=2017-12-06 |title=Review: Rolling Stones' Sixties Radio Recordings Show Early Greatness |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/review-the-rolling-stones-scrappy-sixties-radio-recordings-show-early-roughneck-greatness-120488/ |url-access=limited |access-date=2024-12-13 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}
=Narvel Felts=
Narvel Felts covered the song in 1982. His version went to number 64 on the Hot Country Singles chart in 1982.{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research|year=2008|page=143|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}}
=Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band=
In 1992, Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band, the longtime house band for David Letterman, released a cover of the song that was featured for the soundtrack for the family comedy film Beethoven, which was also the name of the titular St. Bernard.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsxJA8nGxiQ| title= YouTube: Paul Shaffer and The World's Most Dangerous Band cover for the film Beethoven from the film soundtrack.| website= YouTube| date= July 23, 2018}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://www.jefflynnesongs.com/rolloverbeethoven/ In-depth Song Analysis of ELO recording] at the Jeff Lynne Song Database (Jefflynnesongs.com)
- {{YouTube|o3CAAcndhlM|Chuck Berry - Roll Over Beethoven}}
- {{YouTube|Hz5jXwOXgKQ|Beatles - Roll Over Beethoven}}
- {{YouTube|frVqITAPXCo|ELO - Roll Over Beethoven}}
- {{YouTube|WsxJA8nGxiQ|Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band - Roll Over Beethoven}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLrOL9piOKI&pp=ygUOY2h1Y2sgYmVycnkgNDU%3D] Chuck Berry - Roll Over Beethoven (45)
{{Clear}}
{{Chuck Berry}}
{{With The Beatles}}
{{Electric Light Orchestra singles}}
{{Narvel Felts}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roll Over Beethoven}}
Category:Capitol Records singles
Category:Chess Records singles
Category:Cultural depictions of Ludwig van Beethoven
Category:Cultural depictions of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Category:Songs about classical music
Category:Songs about Ludwig van Beethoven
Category:Electric Light Orchestra songs
Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients
Category:Harvest Records singles
Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin
Category:Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne
Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings