Roll Over Beethoven

"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.

Inspiration and lyrics

According to Rolling Stone^[2] and Cub Koda of Allmusic,^[3] 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.^[4] "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.^[5] Koda calls it a "masterpiece" that helped to define the rock and roll genre.^[3]

Cover versions

"Roll Over Beethoven" is one of the most widely covered songs in popular music –"a staple of rock & roll bands" according to Koda^[3] – with notable versions by Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles and the Electric Light Orchestra. Other covers were made 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 and Iron Maiden.

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 30 July 1963 for their second British LP, With The Beatles, and features George Harrison on vocals and guitar.^[6][7] In the United States, it was released 10 April 1964 as the opening track of The Beatles' Second Album.^[8] and 11 May 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 1964, The Beatles released a live version of "Roll Over Beethoven" on Live at the BBC. This live version was recorded on 28 February 1964 and broadcast on 30 March 1964 as part of a BBC series starring The Beatles called From Us to You.^[9] 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.

Electric Light Orchestra

Electric Light Orchestra's 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. "Roll Over Beethoven" was the second single released by the band, 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.

The B-side, "Queen of the Hours," was the first ever ELO published song, released by Harvest Records in November 1971 in a compilation called The Harvest Bag which featured various Harvest records artists.^[10]

Chart positions

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.^[12]

References