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.
Betty Jean
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
Speaking little, saying a lot.
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
I love the way you walk
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
Look like you're dancin when you're not.
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)I love the way you love
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
You give it everything you've got.
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
Chorus:
Oh-oh-oh baby
(Sing the song Chuckie Boy)
I'm in love with you
(Sing the song Chuckie Boy)
Oh-oh-oh baby
(Sing the song Chuckie Boy)
I'm in love with you
(Sing the song Chuckie Boy)
Now tell me baby
(Sing the song Chuckie Boy)
Do you love me too?
2nd verse
Every time I knock-knock-knock
Oh yeah Betty Jean)
I hear you say "Come in."
Oh yeah Betty Jean)
My heart goes a-boom-boom
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
Just to hold you again.Oh yeah Betty Jean)
I hear bells ding-a-ling
Oh yeah Betty Jean)
'Cause you the living end
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
3rd verse!
I bet you wouldn't think a dance
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
Could start a real romance
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
I bet you wouldn't think a kiss
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
Could turn me on like this
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
Well let me tell you how it was
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
Yes it did, Yes it was
In Chuck Berry's song "Betty Jean", the singer expresses his love and admiration for his love interest, Betty Jean. He specifically mentions the way she talks, saying little but saying a lot, and the way she walks, appearing to dance even when she's not. He is also enamored with the way she loves, giving it everything she's got. The chorus repeats the sentiment of his love for Betty Jean and he asks her if she loves him too in the end. In the second verse, he describes his excitement every time he visits her and hears her inviting him in. Holding her again makes his heart beat with anticipation and he hears bells ring within him because she is so amazing. In the final verse, the singer reflects on how even a dance or a kiss can start and deepen a romance, describing how Betty Jean has turned him on with just a kiss.
Line by Line Meaning
I love the way you talk
Chuck enjoys the way Betty Jean speaks.
(Oh yeah Betty Jean)
An exclamation of adoration for Betty Jean.
Speaking little, saying a lot.
Despite using few words, Betty Jean communicates well.
I love the way you walk
Chuck admires Betty Jean's gait.
Look like you're dancin when you're not.
Betty Jean's strut resembles a dance move in Chuck's eyes.
I love the way you love
Chuck is enamored with how Betty Jean expresses her affection.
You give it everything you've got.
Betty Jean loves wholeheartedly and without reservation.
Oh-oh-oh baby
Chuck affectionately addresses Betty Jean.
(Sing the song Chuckie Boy)
A playful aside, perhaps as Chuck rehearses his own tune.
I'm in love with you
Chuck confesses to Betty Jean that he has deep feelings for her.
Now tell me baby
Chuck requests a response from Betty Jean.
Do you love me too?
Chuck wonders if his feelings are reciprocated.
Every time I knock-knock-knock
Chuck has presumably come calling on Betty Jean more than once.
I hear you say "Come in."
Betty Jean welcomes Chuck inside when he visits.
My heart goes a-boom-boom
Chuck's heart beats rapidly with excitement upon seeing Betty Jean.
Just to hold you again.
Chuck longs to embrace Betty Jean once more.
I hear bells ding-a-ling
In Chuck's imagination, the sound of bells accompanies Betty Jean's presence.
'Cause you the living end
Betty Jean is a fantastic and exciting person, in Chuck's estimation.
I bet you wouldn't think a dance
Chuck is about to relate a story to Betty Jean.
Could start a real romance
Chuck is amazed that a dance led to his feelings for Betty Jean.
I bet you wouldn't think a kiss
Chuck is continuing his story to Betty Jean.
Could turn me on like this
Chuck has been significantly affected by a kiss with Betty Jean.
Well let me tell you how it was
Chuck prepares to share details about what happened with Betty Jean.
Yes it did, Yes it was
Chuck is confirming that a kiss with Betty Jean had a big impact on him.
Lyrics © ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP
Written by: CHUCK BERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jack
on Little Marie (Alternate)
Yes, oh yes, Long Distance, I'll accept the charge, I'll pay
Which love one is calling me, I did not hear you say.
Both are deep within my hearth, her Mom and my Marie
It so good to hear your voice from Memphis, Tennessee
Oh, you mean so much to me, more than you'll ever know,
Surely, you have not forgot how much I love you so
If you would remember, Dear, and sometimes talk to me
Maybe that would reunite our home in Tennessee.
Last time I saw you, just before I had to leave
You did not want to see me off and promised not to grieve,
My hearth was tore apart as I looked back at my Marie
And there the peace is still remain with you in Tennessee.
I guess I should stop talking, after all you placed the call
But anyway that I can help, you know I'll help you all
Then she spoke and asked me to come back and see Marie
And live together in our home in Memphis, Tennessee.