THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

521-Little Richard-Good Golly, Miss Molly.

1958-Number 8 single.

Best Bit-At 0.17. Little Richard first heard the phrase ‘Good Golly, Miss Molly’ when it was used as a catchphrase by the American Disc Jockey Jimmy Pennick.

Little Richard was born Richard Wayne Penniman on December 5th, 1932, in Macon, Georgia, United States, he died on May 9th, 2020, from a cause related to bone cancer, at the age of 87. Little Richard who was the third of 12 children, was initially supposed to have been called ‘Ricardo,’ but an error switched it to ‘Richard.’ As a child he was nicknamed ‘Lil’ Richard’ by his family, because of his small and skinny frame, this was possibly as a result of complications at birth, he had a slight deformity that left one of his legs shorter than the other, which produced an unusual gait, and he was mocked for his effeminate appearance. Little Richard was born into a deeply religious family, and throughout the whole of his life he attempted to reconcile his wild lifestyle with the teachings of his religion. To complicate things even further Little Richard was also bi-sexual, and he struggled with the Bible’s teachings, and his own sexuality. In 1970 he was ordained a minister, preaching about the Bible’s black characters, and trying to unite the races through God’s love.

Little Richard is considered to be one of the most influential figures in popular music, and not just in the development of ‘Rock ‘N Roll,’ but also in the genres of ‘Soul,’ Funk,’ and ‘Rock’ music. He is cited as one of the first black artists to reach audiences of all races, at a time when black and white segregation was still the normal thing, his music and stage presence helped greatly to break down the barriers. When he was inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’ in 1986, as a member of the initial class of inductees chosen for that honour, they said about him, ‘He claims to be ‘the architect of rock and roll.’ and history would seem to bear out Little Richard’s boast. More than any other performer—save, perhaps, Elvis Presley, Little Richard blew the lid off the Fifties, laying the foundation for rock and roll with his explosive music and charismatic persona. On record, he made spine-tingling rock and roll. His frantically charged piano playing and raspy, shouted vocals on such classics as ‘Tutti Frutti,’ ‘Long Tall Sally,’ and ‘Good Golly, Miss Molly,’ defined the dynamic sound of rock and roll.’

The discography of Little Richard includes 19 studio Albums released between 1957-2005, and 77 singles released between 1951-1988, there are also 36 official compilations, and three live Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, nine of his singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Long Tall Sally,’ peaking the highest at Number 6 in 1956, while ‘Good Golly, Miss Molly’ reached Number 10. In the UK, Little Richard has had 16 top 40 hits, with ‘Baby Face’ from 1958, charting the highest at Number 2. His final top 40 hit in the UK, was a live recording of ‘Good Golly, Miss Molly,’ which made Number 37 in 1977.

‘Good Golly, Miss Molly’ was the fifth of eight singles released from Little Richard’s second Album, from July 1958, called ‘Little Richard’ in America, but called ‘Volume 2’ in the UK. ‘Good Golly, Miss Molly’ was co-written by John Marascalco (1931-2020) and Robert ‘Bumps’ Blackwell, (1918-1985) with the production being by Blackwell. John S. Marascalco was born on March 27, 1931, in Grenada, Mississippi, and died on July 5th, 2020, at the age of 89. Together with Robert Blackwell he also wrote other hits for Little Richard, including ‘Ready Teddy,’ (1956) and ‘Rip It Up’ (1956.) Away from Blackwell he co-wrote ‘Be My Guest,’ (1959) made famous by Fats Domino, and ‘Goodnight My Love,’ (1956) a hit firstly for Jesse Belvin. Robert Alexander Blackwell was born on May 23rd, 1918, in Seattle, Washington, United States, he died in 1985, of pneumonia, at the age of 66. Blackwell led a Jazz group in the late 1940’s that included Ray Charles, (1930-2004) and Quincy Jones. In the mid 1950’s he began working at ‘Specialty Records,’ as an arranger and producer, where he worked with artists including Sam Cooke, Larry Williams, and Lloyd Price. In the mid 1960’s Blackwell took over as Little Richard’s manager, and continued to work with him into the 1970’s.

‘Good Golly, Miss Molly’ contains lots of sexual innuendo, for example ‘sure like to ball,’ was a euphemism for oral sex, and ‘rockin and rollin,” also refers to a sexual act. Little Richard has said that the songs intro is more or less a direct lift from the 1951 song ‘Rocket 88,’ by Ike Turner, (1931-2007) and Jackie Brenston, (1928 or 1930-1979) saying, I always liked that record, and I used the riff in my act, so when we were looking for a lead-in to ‘Good Golly Miss Molly,’ I did that and it fit.’

‘I am going to the corner, gonna buy a diamond ring. When she hugs me and kiss me make me ting-a-ling-a-ling. Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball, when you’re rockin’ and a rollin’ can’t hear your momma call.’