| "Johnny B. Goode" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 One of side-A labels of original US single | ||||
| Single byChuck Berry | ||||
| B-side | "Around and Around" | |||
| Released | March 31, 1958 | |||
| Recorded | January 6, 1958 | |||
| Studio | Chess, Chicago | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:39 | |||
| Label | Chess | |||
| Songwriter | Chuck Berry | |||
| Producers | Leonard Chess,Phil Chess | |||
| Chuck Berry singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
"Johnny B. Goode" is a song by American musicianChuck Berry, written and sung by Berry in 1958. Released as asingle in 1958, it peaked at number two on theHot R&B Sides chart and number eight on its pre-Billboard Hot 100 chart.[1] The song remains a staple ofrock n' roll music.
"Johnny B. Goode" is considered one of the most recognizable songs in the history ofpopular music. Credited as "the first rock & roll hit about rock & roll stardom",[2] it has been covered by various other artists and has received several honors and accolades. These include being ranked 33rd and 7th, respectively, onRolling Stone's 2021[3] and 2004 versions of500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[2][4] It was also included as one of the 27 songs on theVoyager Golden Record, a collection of music, images, and sounds designed to serve as an introduction and record of global humanity’s achievements, innovations and culture, to alien/otherworldly inhabitants.
Written by Chuck Berry in 1955, the song is about an illiterate "country boy" from the New Orleans area, who plays a guitar "just like ringing abell", and who might one day have his "name in lights".[5] Berry acknowledged that the song is partly autobiographical and that the original lyrics referred to Johnny as a "colored boy", but he changed it to "country boy" to ensure eligibility for radio play.[6] As well as suggesting that the guitar player is good, the title hints at autobiographic elements, because Berry was born at 2520 Goode Avenue, inSt. Louis.[5]
The song was initially inspired byJohnnie Johnson, the regular piano player in Berry's band,[7] but developed into a song mainly about Berry himself. Johnson played on many recordings by Berry, but for theChess recording sessionLafayette Leake played the piano, along withWillie Dixon on bass andFred Below on drums.[5][8] The session was produced byLeonard andPhil Chess.[8] The guitaristKeith Richards later suggested that the song's chords are more typical of compositions written for piano than for guitar.[9]
The opening guitar riff of "Johnny B. Goode" borrows from the opening single-note solo onLouis Jordan's "Ain't That Just Like a Woman" (1946), played by guitaristCarl Hogan.[10]
One notable feature of Berry's recording is the contrast between theswing of the drums and piano backing, and the "straight" (non-swinging) rhythm and lead guitar.[11]
InThe Guardian,Joe Queenan argued that "no song in the history ofrock'n'roll more jubilantly celebrates the downmarket socioeconomic roots of the genre" than "Johnny B. Goode".[12] InBillboard, Jason Lipshutz stated that the song was "the firstrock-star origin story", and that it featured "a swagger and showmanship that had not yet invaded radio".[13]
When Chuck Berry was honored in the firstRock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on January 23, 1986, he performed "Johnny B. Goode" and "Rock and Roll Music", backed byBruce Springsteen and theE Street Band.[14] The Hall of Fame included both songs as well as "Maybellene" in their list of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll.[15] The song was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame in 1999, for its influence as a rock and roll single.[16]
The song appears on the 1973American Graffiti soundtrack album.
"Johnny B. Goode" has been recorded in cover versions by a wide variety of artists in different genres. In 1969,country musicianBuck Owens's version from his albumBuck Owens in London "Live" toppedBillboard magazine'sHot Country Sides chart.[17] In 1972,Jimi Hendrix had a posthumous hit with a live version from the live albumHendrix in the West peaking at number 35 on theUK Singles Chart[18] and later reaching number 13 on the New Zealand Top 50 in 1986.[19]Peter Tosh's 1983 rendition from his albumMama Africa peaked at number 84 on theBillboard Hot 100,[20] number 48 on the UK Singles Chart,[21] number 10 in the Netherlands, and number 29 in New Zealand.[22] In 1988,Judas Priest's version from their albumRam It Down reached number 64 on the UK Singles Chart.[18]The Sex Pistols also covered it for their soundtrackThe Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle in 1979.Elton John's cover of the song is the opening track of his 1979 albumVictim of Love.
Devo paid homage to Berry's song in their song "Come Back Jonee" on the group's 1978 debut albumQ. Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!.
Berry's recording is included (as the eleventh track of disc 1) among the musical samples and sounds on theVoyager Golden Record, sent to travel into deep space beyond theSolar System on bothVoyager spacecraft, launched in 1977.
A cover version is featured in the filmBack to the Future (1985) when lead characterMarty McFly, played by actorMichael J. Fox, performs it at a high school dance. Impressed, fictional bandleader Marvin Berry (Harry Waters Jr.) calls up his cousin Chuck and makes him listen to the song, telling him it's "that new sound you're looking for", thus making it abootstrap paradox. Fox explained his approach was to "incorporate all the characteristics and mannerisms and quirks of my favourite guitarists, so aPete Townshend windmill, and Jimi Hendrix behind the back, and a Chuck Berryduckwalk. And we worked all that in."[23]
TheGrateful Dead often performed the song live, purportedly playing it at least 287 times.[24]
The animated TV seriesNinjago pays homage to "Johnny B. Goode" several times throughout the show with a track titled "Dareth the Guitar Man" (also known as "Dareth The Man" or "Dareth's Blues"), which features similar musical themes to the song.[25]
| List | Publisher | Rank | Year of publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 Greatest Songs of All Time[2] | Rolling Stone | 7 | 2004 |
| 50 Greatest Guitar Solos[26] | Guitar World | 12 | 2009 |
| 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time[27] | Rolling Stone | 1 | 2008 |
| 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks[28] | Q | 42 | 2005 |
| 500 Greatest Songs of All Time[3] | Rolling Stone | 33 | 2021 |
| 500 Songs That Shaped Rock[29] | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | N/A | 1995 |
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[34] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[35] sales since 2009 | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[36] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[37] sales since 2009 | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[38] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[39] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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| Related articles | |
