Johnny B. Goode

Johnny B. Goode is a seminal 1958 rock and roll song by Chuck Berry. Written by Berry in 1955, the song is a rock and roll version of the American dream — a poor country boy becomes a star by hard work and inspired guitar playing. This image of unknowns with no future achieving fame and fortune through music became a paradigm for countless songs and even careers to follow. The opening guitar riff on "Johnny B. Goode" may be the most famous single riff in rock and roll history. It is essentially a note-for-note copy of the opening single-note solo on Louis Jordan's "Ain't That Just Like a Woman" (1946), played by guitarist Carl Hogan. 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" instead of "country boy", but it was changed for fear of it not being played on the radio. As a possible source for the last name, it has been noted that Berry was born on Goode Avenue in St. Louis. Aware of the importance of the song to his fame and his image, Berry has written two more songs about Johnny, "Bye Bye Johnny" and "Go Go Go", and also titled an instrumental album as "Concerto in B. Goode". Berry's recording of the song was included on the Voyager Golden Record, attached to the Voyager spacecraft as representing rock and roll, one of three American songs included among many cultural achievements of humanity. Even though Johnny Johnson played piano on many other Chuck Berry songs, it was actually Lafayette Leake who played the instrument on this song. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as the seventh greatest song ever on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and the best guitar song on their list of the 100 greatest guitar songs of all time.

[Verse 1] 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 ringing a bell [Chorus] Go, go Go Johnny go, go Go Johnny go, go Go Johnny go, go Go Johnny go, go Johnny B. Goode [Verse 2] He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track Oh, the engineers would see him sitting in the shade Strumming with the rhythm that the drivers made People passing by they would stop and say Oh my, but that little country boy could play [Chorus] Go, go Go Johnny go, go Go Johnny go, go Go Johnny go, go Go Johnny go, go Johnny B. Goode [Verse 3] His mother told him "Someday you will be a man And you will be the leader of a big old band Many people coming from miles around To hear you play your music when the sun go down Maybe someday your name will be in lights Saying 'Johnny B. Goode Tonight'" [Chorus] Go, go Go Johnny go Go go go, Johnny go Oh go go, Johnny go Oh go go, Johnny go Go, Johnny B. Goode