The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 783

Friday, October 06, 2006

Number 783 - Chuck Berry

Number 783

Chuck Berry

"Sweet Little 16"

(1958)

Genre:Rock & Roll

"Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none is more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry. He is its greatest songwriter, the main shaper of its instrumental voice, one of its greatest guitarists, and one of its greatest performers. Quite simply, without him, there would be no Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, nor a myriad others. There would be no standard "Chuck Berry guitar intro," the instrument's clarion call to get the joint rockin' in any setting. The clippety-clop rhythms of rockabilly would not have been mainstreamed into the now standard 4/4 rock & roll beat. There would be no obsessive wordplay by modern-day tunesmiths; in fact, the whole history (and artistic level) of rock & roll songwriting would have been much poorer without him. Like Brian Wilson said, he wrote "all of the great songs and came up with all the rock'n'roll beats." Those who do not claim him as a seminal influence or profess a liking for his music and showmanship show their ignorance of rock's development as well as his place as the music's first great creator. Elvis may have fueled rock & roll's imagery, but Chuck Berry was its heartbeat and original mindset. "

Some would say "If it hadn't been Chuck Berry, it would've been someone else" i just retort "I'm just glad it was him then"

For the Beatles see Number 489, #587, #894 & #947

For the Rolling Stones see Number 689 & #767

For Beach Boys see Number 517, #560, #576, #641 & #714

For Bob Dylan see Number 491, #841 & #929

For Elvis Presley see Number 443, #501 & #840

What does RS think about Chuck Berry?The archetypal rock & roller, Chuck Berry melded the blues, country, and a witty, defiant teen outlook into songs that have influenced virtually every rock musician in his wake. In his best work — about 40 songs (including "Round and Round," "Carol," "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Back in the U.S.A.," "Little Queenie"), recorded mostly in the mid- and late '50s — Berry matched some of the most resonant and witty lyrics in pop to music with a blues bottom and a country top, trademarking the results with his signature double-string guitar lick. On awarding Berry the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors Award in December 2000, President Bill Clinton hailed him as "one of the 20th Century's most influential musicians." ~ [Source: Rolling Stone]

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number 272 and the Album ranked at Number (we create history, not Mr Berry!)

This song has a crowbarred rating of 64.8 out of 108

Chuck Berry - Sweet Little Sixteen
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