THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

30-Chuck Berry-Johnny B. Goode.

1958-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 0.01.’I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet, but you kids are gonna love it.’

I suppose that very famous quote from the film ‘Back to the Future’ is true, as this song never saw the light of day in the UK chart in 1958, and yet the horrendous ‘My Ding-A-ling’ would give Chuck Berry his only UK Number 1 in 1972, proving that fact can be stranger than fiction.

Charles Edward Anderson Berry (see also best songs 548 and 308) was born on October 18th, 1926, in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, he died of a heart attack on March 18th, 2017, at the age of 90. Chuck Berry is considered one of the most important figures in the development of ‘Rock Music,’ inspiring the next generation, which included the Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. John Lennon (1940-1980) said of Berry,’If you tried to give ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll’ another name, you might call it Chuck Berry.’ The discography of Chuck Berry includes 20 studio Albums released between 1957-2017, and 45 singles issued between 1955-2017. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 top 40 singles he has 14 top 40 hits, with the aforementioned ‘My-Ding-a-Ling’ making Number 1 in 1972. While in the UK, 12 of his singles have reached the top 40, with ‘My-Ding-a-Ling’ being his only chart topper.

‘Johnny B. Goode’ was written by Chuck Berry in 1955, it was recorded in January 1958, and issued as a single on March 31st, 1959, it later appeared on Chuck Berry’s third studio Album ‘Chuck Berry Is on Top’ released in July 1959. ‘Johnny B. Goode’ was produced by the brothers Leonard Chess, (1917-1969) and Phil Chess, (1921-2016) who had both co-founded ‘Chess Records’ (this songs label) in 1950. ‘Johnny B. Goode’ is credited as ‘The first Rock ‘N’ Roll’ hit with subject matter being about ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll’ stardom.’ Berry wrote the song about a semi-literate ‘country boy’ from the New Orleans area, who plays a guitar ‘Just like ringing a bell,’ and who might one day have his “Name in lights,’ Berry did acknowledge that the lyrics were partly autobiographical. Berry also told us that the guitar player was ‘good’, and part of the songs title is taken from where Berry was born, at 2520 Goode Avenue, in St. Louis. ‘Johnny B. Goode’ was also initially inspired by Johnnie Johnson, (1924-2005) whom Berry had previously worked with since 1952, playing on several of Berry’s recordings, although he did not perform on this song. When Berry originally wrote the lyrics he used the line,’That little coloured boy can play,’ but was advised (probably by the Chess brothers) to change the line to ‘That little country boy could play,’ in order to assure it being played on the radio.

As I have said so often during this countdown, nothing in ‘Pop Music’ is totally original, and Chuck Berry certainly owes a great debt to those he idolised from the previous generation. The iconic guitar intro to ‘Johnny B. Goode’ borrows from the opening of the song ‘Ain’t That Just Like a Woman,’ by the American ‘Jump Blues’ artist Louis Jordan, (1908-1975) with the American R&B performer Carl Hogan (1917-1977) playing that guitar part on that 1946 recording. Chuck Berry also paid tribute to the American ‘Blues’ musician ‘T Bone Walker,’ (1910-1975) who was another of his idols, by ‘borrowing’ from Walker’s 1950 song ‘Strollin’ With Bones,’ for the guitar break midway through ‘Johnny B. Goode.

‘Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans, way back up in the woods among the evergreens. There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood, where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode, who never ever learned to read or write so well, but he could play a guitar just like a-ringin’ a bell.’