Chuck Berry remains an influential figure and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music who first began performing in 1953. Cub Koda wrote, "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." John Lennon was more succinct: "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'."
Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986. He received Kennedy Center Honors in 2000 in a "class" with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Plácido Domingo, Angela Lansbury, and Clint Eastwood. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Chuck Berry #5 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He was also ranked 6th on Rolling Stone's Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists of All Time.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included three of Chuck Berry's songs (Johnny B. Goode, Maybellene, Rock & Roll Music), of the 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll.
Chuck Berry held a special place, in terms of sound development, in the formation of, Mersey-Beat at Liverpool.
The finest exponent of Chuck Berry, guitar, sound at Liverpool during 1959 to 1963, was Vincent Tow/Ismail, who in turn passed on many of the learned skills to Lennon & McCartney, his friends and colleagues during that period--1959 to 1962/3.
Chuck Berry also influenced many of the great rock 'n' roll bands that we know today including The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
02 No particular place to go
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My baby beside me at the wheel
I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile
My curiosity runnin' wild
Crusin' and playin' the radio
With no particular place to go
Riding along in my automobile
So I told her softly and sincere
And she leaned and whispered in my ear
Cuddlin' more and drivin' slow
With no particular place to go
No particular place to go
So we parked way out on the Kokomo
The night was young and the moon was gold
So we both decided to take a stroll
Can you image the way I felt
I couldn't unfasten her safety belt
Ridin' along in my calaboose
Still trying to get her belt a-loose
All the way home I held a grudge
For the safety belt that wouldn't budge
Crusin' and playin' the radio
With no particular place to go
Chuck Berry's song "No Particular Place to Go" is a classic rock and roll anthem that describes a couple riding aimlessly in a car. The song's protagonist, driving his automobile with his lover beside him, kisses her and his mind starts running wild with curiosity. The couple's cruising adventure takes them to Kokomo, Indiana, where they park and take a walk. The night is young, and the moon is gold. As they attempt to continue their passionate night, they encounter some problems - the woman's safety belt won't come off, no matter how hard they try.
Line by Line Meaning
Riding along in my automobile
I was driving in my car
My baby beside me at the wheel
My significant other was driving the car
I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile
I kissed my significant other while driving
My curiosity runnin' wild
I was very curious and excited
Crusin' and playin' the radio
We were cruising and listening to music
With no particular place to go
We didn't have a specific destination
I was anxious to tell her the way I feel
I was eager to express my feelings
So I told her softly and sincere
I told her my feelings in a heartfelt manner
And she leaned and whispered in my ear
She leaned towards me and whispered a response
Cuddlin' more and drivin' slow
We were hugging and driving slowly
So we parked way out on the Kokomo
We parked our car far away from everything
The night was young and the moon was gold
It was early in the night and the moon was shining bright
So we both decided to take a stroll
We decided to walk around
Can you image the way I felt
Can you imagine how I was feeling
I couldn't unfasten her safety belt
I struggled to undo her seat belt
Ridin' along in my calaboose
I was driving in my car
Still trying to get her belt a-loose
I was still trying to undo her seat belt
All the way home I held a grudge
On the entire drive home, I was upset
For the safety belt that wouldn't budge
Because her seat belt wouldn't come undone
Crusin' and playin' the radio
We were cruising and listening to music
With no particular place to go
We still didn't have a specific destination
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHUCK BERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bidule bidule
Riding along in my automobile
My baby beside me at the wheel
I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile
My curiosity runnin' wild
Crusin' and playin' the radio
With no particular place to go
Riding along in my automobile
I was anxious to tell her the way I feel
So I told her softly and sincere
And she leaned and whispered in my ear
Cuddlin' more and drivin' slow
With no particular place to go
No particular place to go
So we parked way out on the Kokomo
The night was young and the moon was gold
So we both decided to take a stroll
Can you image the way I felt
I couldn't unfasten her safety belt
Ridin' along in my calaboose
Still trying to get her belt a-loose
All the way home I held a grudge
For the safety belt that wouldn't budge
Crusin' and playin' the radio
With no particular place to go
David O'Dea
Up in the mornin' and out to school
The teacher is teachin' the golden rule
American history and practical math
You studyin' hard and hopin' to pass
Workin' your fingers right down to the bone
And the guy behind you won't leave you alone
Ring, ring goes the bell
The cook in the lunch room's ready to sell
You're lucky if you can find a seat
You're fortunate if you have time to eat
Back in the classroom, open your books
Keep up the teacher, don't know how mean she looks
city zen
Lyrics
Riding along in my automobile
My baby beside me at the wheel
I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile
My curiosity runnin' wild
Crusin' and playin' the radio
With no particular place to go
Riding along in my automobile
I was anxious to tell her the way I feel
So I told her softly and sincere
And she leaned and whispered in my ear
Cuddlin' more and drivin' slow
With no particular place to go
No particular place to go
So we parked way out on the Kokomo
The night was young and the moon was gold
So we both decided to take a stroll
Can you image the way I felt
I couldn't unfasten her safety belt
Ridin' along in my calaboose
Still trying to get her belt a-loose
All the way home I held a grudge
For the safety belt that wouldn't budge
Crusin' and playin' the radio
With no particular place to go
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Chuck Berry
Frank Supinski
Chuck Berry is why we have Rock n Roll today.
1PotatoeMasher1
Very influential but Bill Haley and the Comets gets the nod. Gene Vincent was close I think.
Stuart Johnson
@Scouser on the Wirral Elvis more pop, many of his songs were actually country music songs
Scouser on the Wirral
Fats domino, Bill Haley, Elvis all predate chuck Berry try again
Julio Stevens
The real king of rock n roll as far as I'm concerned.
sherbert Lemon
The true king.
Dyn Jarren
One of his classics. It’s like a shuffle, tells a cool story and has a great guitar riff through out. Brilliant!
bidule bidule
Riding along in my automobile
My baby beside me at the wheel
I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile
My curiosity runnin' wild
Crusin' and playin' the radio
With no particular place to go
Riding along in my automobile
I was anxious to tell her the way I feel
So I told her softly and sincere
And she leaned and whispered in my ear
Cuddlin' more and drivin' slow
With no particular place to go
No particular place to go
So we parked way out on the Kokomo
The night was young and the moon was gold
So we both decided to take a stroll
Can you image the way I felt
I couldn't unfasten her safety belt
Ridin' along in my calaboose
Still trying to get her belt a-loose
All the way home I held a grudge
For the safety belt that wouldn't budge
Crusin' and playin' the radio
With no particular place to go
David O'Dea
Up in the mornin' and out to school
The teacher is teachin' the golden rule
American history and practical math
You studyin' hard and hopin' to pass
Workin' your fingers right down to the bone
And the guy behind you won't leave you alone
Ring, ring goes the bell
The cook in the lunch room's ready to sell
You're lucky if you can find a seat
You're fortunate if you have time to eat
Back in the classroom, open your books
Keep up the teacher, don't know how mean she looks
Joel Martinez
Excellent song