Johnny B. Goode

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Johnny B. Goode"
Image:Johnnybgoode.jpg
Single by Chuck Berry
from the album Chuck Berry Is On Top
Released	March, 31, 1958
Format	vinyl record (7")
Genre	Rock and Roll
Length	2:40
Label	Mca
Producer(s)	Chuck Berry
Chart positions
#6 (USA)
Chuck Berry singles chronology
Anthony Boy (1958)	Johnny B. Goode (1958)	Little Queenie (1958)

Music sample:

Chuck Berry - "Johnny B. Goode" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- 15 seconds (of 2:39)
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.

</div>

"Johnny B. Goode" is a song by Chuck Berry that has come to be a universal anthem of rock and roll, still played by popular musicans of all schools when they want to get the crowd going.

Berry's recording of the song was included on the Voyager Golden Record, attached to the Voyager spacecraft as representing rock and roll among other cultural achievements of humanity.

Berry wrote the piece in 1955 and released it in 1958. It is a rock and roll telling of the American dream - a poor country boy from the backwoods has dreams of becoming a star by hard work and his skill at playing the guitar. Although partly autobiographical, the inspiration for the song is said to have been Johnnie Johnson who played the piano and composed several songs with Berry and is considered a major contributor to the unmistakable Berry sound. On earlier unreleased takes Chuck sang "colored boy" for "country boy", but the Chess-brothers decided that that would not sell. Berry was also born on Goode Avenue in St. Louis. [1]

The song's impact on the rock 'n' roll world is immeasurable. Virtually every guitarist learns to play it early and its riffs and memorable guitar licks show up in the recordings of many of them later in their careers.^{[citation needed]}. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is the best-known example of this phenomenon.

Berry later wrote a sequel song called "Bye Bye Johnny". His instrumental "Concerto in B. Goode" is an extended instrumental exploration of "the Chuck Berry style" by its master and inventor.

In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Johnny B. Goode" at number 42 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. Rolling Stone ranked it as the seventh best song ever on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

1 Cultural uses
2 Cover versions
3 Trivia Facts
4 External links

[edit] Cultural uses

In the movie Back to the Future, Marty McFly performs this song at a high school dance where the original band's guitarist (named Marvin Berry) injures his hand. In the time-travel movie, Chuck Berry becomes inspired to write the song by Marvin, his cousin, who calls Chuck to hear the "new sound", which is of course Marty playing the song, heavy-metal-shredding style. Michael J. Fox, who played Marty, actually sang the song. The scene was also used in Back to the Future Part II.
The Beach Boys copied the intro of the song for "Fun, Fun, Fun". They recorded the song live on December 21, 1963, in a version which would later be released on the album Beach Boys Concert.
The song is one of two Berry recordings included on the American Graffiti soundtrack.
"Johnny B. Goode" makes a cameo appearance in the Ricky Nelson song, "Garden Party", as a reference to Berry, who also played the concert commemorated in the Nelson song.
"Johnny B. Goode" also makes a cameo in the Big Bopper song, "Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor".
In 2004, Democratic nominee John Kerry used the song as a theme song at most of his campaign events
Australian band TISM once recorded a parody of this song entitled "The Ballad of Johnny To B. Or Not To B. Goode". Their independent record label is named "Genre B. Goode".
"Johnny B. Goode" can be heard in the makeshift hospital Ruth's daughter Jane visits in the British nuclear war film Threads.
In the SNES game Earthbound (or Mother 2 in Japan), the music which plays when fighting the enemy identified as "New Age Retro Hippy" is based on "Johnny B. Goode".
In Theme Park (game), the music of the simulator ride is the guitar riff of "Johnny B. Goode".
The Kingdom Hospital television miniseries had a running gag where the hospital's janitor, Johnny B. Goode, was always absent from work and his duties performed by someone else. Eventually Goode does appaear late in the series, and is played by novelist and series creator Stephen King.
In the videogames Animal Crossing and its sequel Animal Crossing: Wild World, the song "Rockin' K.K." is heavily based on "Johnny B. Goode".
"Johnny B. Goode" is featured on the Voyager Golden Record as one of three examples of USA music.
On his 2006 Modern Times album Bob Dylan seems to use the speed and metric of "Johnny B. Goode" for his song "Thunder on the Mountain". In so far as this CD is about "modern times", it seems reasonable that he picks up this classic: the "spirit" (its rhythmic essence) of the song is transformed into the present, adding much vigor and lyrical variations to it.
American NASCAR driver Johnny Benson is frequently referred to by television commentators as "Johnny B. Goode" when he running well.
Ironically, pianist Johnny Johnson was not on this recording, Lafayette Leake did the keyboard honors.
"Johnny B. Goode" has also been used in several hit musicals. The song is the finale in "Return to the Forbidden Planet" and also is the final song in the finale act of The Buddy Holly Musical "The Buddy Holly Story".