Rock & Roll (The Velvet Underground song)

"Rock & Roll" (sometimes typed Rock 'n' Roll) is a song by The Velvet Underground, originally appearing on their 1970 album Loaded. The song was written by the Velvet's then-leader Lou Reed, who continued to incorporate the song into his own live performances years later as a solo artist.

The song recounts the advent of rock & roll, telling the story of a girl named Ginny whose "life was saved by Rock and Roll.”

The musical content of the song is a three-chord progression, typical of Rock and Roll compositions, except that whereas the order is usually the "1-4-5" major chords sequence, this one is the reverse, 5-4-1, namely C, B♭, and F. However, since the C chord is heard as the I chord, the progression is based around this tonic, thus the numerical harmonic analysis yields a 1-b7-4 progression, the b7 major chord (Bb major) indicates the Mixolydian mode. Examples of similar chord sequences include The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" and The Beatles "Hey Jude".

Harmonically, Reed adds the sixths to the Bb and the F, making them Bb6 and F6. Reed would go on to make prominent use of an F6 in one of his most well-known songs, "Walk on the Wild Side".

Unusually, the verse of "Rock & Roll" is five bars long, as opposed to the conventional four. Reed both plays and sings a syncopated rhythm throughout; his phrasing on the track demonstrates his lax, somewhat scat-like vocal approach.

The song also appears on the albums 1969: The Velvet Underground Live; Live MCMXCIII; Loaded: Fully Loaded Edition; American Poet; Another View; Rock 'n' Roll Animal; Live in Italy; Rock and Roll: an Introduction to The Velvet Underground.; Rock and Roll Diary: 1967–1980.

Notable covers and pop culture uses

"Rock & Roll" has appeared in a number of films, including A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Rock 'n' Roll High School and SLC Punk!

A clip of the Velvet Underground performing the song is played on completion of the Rock & Roll wonder in Civilization IV. In addition, the quote about researching the technology "Radio," read by Leonard Nimoy, is "...then one fine morning she puts on a New York station.... You know, her life was saved by rock & roll." The quote is credited to Lou Reed.

Mitch Ryder's band The Detroit Wheels, which featured Lou Reed's future guitarist Steve Hunter, performed one of the first cover versions of the song in 1971. Others to cover the song have been Phish, The Runaways and Jane's Addiction.