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.
Childhood Sweetheart
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Last night, in the wee wee hours, oh yes
Had a beautiful dream
Ain't about my childhood sweetheart
How true and real it seemed
I had dreamt we was walkin' Hand in hand, home from school
Yeah, I dreamt we was walkin' together
Yeah, if it hadn't be for you darling
I'd broke my mother's rule
Yeah, you was only sixteen
So young and yet so fine
Yeah, you was only sixteen
So young, yet so fine
You said when you'd finish school
You'd let me take and make you mine
Oh yeah
Yeah, you had those same pretty eyes
Same sweet little smile
You had those same pretty eyes
Same sweet little smile
I had dreamt about the sweet things
We used to do, when you was a child
You were my childhood sweetheart
Love you now, and loved you then
You were my childhood sweetheart
I love you now and I loved you then
And when I'll leave you down the twilight
I'll go to sleep and dream again
The lyrics to Chuck Berry's song Childhood Sweetheart reminisce about a dream in which the singer has reunited with his childhood sweetheart. The dream was so vivid and real that he felt like they were hand in hand, walking home from school as they used to do. The singer reminisces about the days when they were younger, and his sweetheart was just sixteen years old, yet so fine. He recalls her beautiful eyes and sweet smile, which he witnessed in his dream, just like he used to when they were young.
The singer expresses his love for his childhood sweetheart, both in the present and the past. He says he still loves her now and loved her then. The dream was so vivid that it felt like they were still together, walking hand in hand like old times. The lyrics suggest that the dream meant a lot to the singer, as it allowed him to relive happy memories from his childhood and early days of love.
Overall, Childhood Sweetheart is a beautiful song that celebrates love, nostalgia, and cherished memories. The dream sequence in the lyrics conveys a sense of yearning for a time long gone, but it also highlights the power of love to transcend time and distance.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night, I had a beautiful dream
In the late hours, I had a wonderful fantasy
Last night, in the wee wee hours, oh yes
It happened in the middle of the night
Had a beautiful dream
I imagined something lovely
Ain't about my childhood sweetheart
Didn't think about my young love in this dream
How true and real it seemed
It all felt so vivid and genuine
I had dreamt we was walkin' Hand in hand, home from school
We strolled from school clasping our hands, in my dream
Yeah, I dreamt we was walkin' together
We were side by side in my mind's eye
Hand in hand, home from school
We walked back home, holding hands
Yeah, if it hadn't be for you darling
Without you, dear, I would have broken the rules
I'd broke my mother's rule
I would have disobeyed what my mom commanded
Yeah, you was only sixteen
You were so very young
So young and yet so fine
Despite being youthful, you were beautiful and remarkable
You said when you'd finish school
You promised after your graduation
You'd let me take and make you mine
You'd allow me to be with you and make you my partner
Oh yeah
Absolutely
Yeah, you had those same pretty eyes
You retained those stunning eyes
Same sweet little smile
That same cute smile, too
I had dreamt about the sweet things
I dreamt of the innocent pleasures we had before
We used to do, when you was a child
The activities we did back when you were small
You were my childhood sweetheart
You were the girl I loved when I was young
Love you now, and loved you then
I still have a strong feeling of fondness for you today and in the past
And when I'll leave you down the twilight
When I eventually depart in the evening
I'll go to sleep and dream again
I'll slumber and pursue another dream
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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.