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.
Come On
Chuck Berry Lyrics
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All day long I'm walkin' 'cause I couldn't get my car started
Laid off from job and I can't afford to check it
I wish somebody'd come along and run in to it and wreck it
Come on, since my baby parted, come on
I can't get started, come on
I can't afford to check it
Everything is wrong since I been without you
Every night I lay awake thinkin' about you
Every time the phone rings sounds like thunder
Some stupid jerk tryin' to reach another number
Come on, since I been without you, come on
Steady thinkin' 'bout you, come on
Phone sounds like thunder
Some stupid jerk tryin' to reach another number
Everything is wrong since I last saw you baby
I really want to see you and I don't mean maybe
I'm doin' everything tryin' to make you see
That I belong to you honey and you belong to me
So come on, I want to see you baby, come on
I don't mean maybe, come on
I'm tryin' to make you see that I belong to you and you belong to me
Come on
Chuck Berry's song "Come On" describes the struggle of a man who is going through a tough time since his lover's departure. He expresses how everything has gone downhill since her departure, starting with his abandoned car which he is unable to start, and his losing his job which has left him unable to fix the car. Berry's use of the phrase "I wish somebody'd come along and run in to it and wreck it" shows that he is already fed up with the car and wishes that it was completely destroyed so he wouldn't have to worry about it.
The song goes on to express how the man cannot get over his lover, as every night he lays awake, thinking about her. Even the sound of the ringing telephone annoys him because he is hoping that it's his lover calling. He mentions how someone else keeps calling, and he refers to that person as a "stupid jerk" because he wants his lover to know that he is not interested in anyone else.
Berry continues to express his longing for his lover to come back to him, saying that everything has been wrong since the last time he saw her. He tries everything to make her understand that he loves her and that they belong together. He even concludes the song with a plea for her to come back and not just to see him, but to be with him.
Overall, the song shows the struggle of a man who is in love and cannot cope with the loss of his lover. Berry's use of metaphors to illustrate his pain and frustration enhances the emotional appeal of the lyrics, making the song both relatable and memorable.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything is wrong since me and my baby parted
My life has been difficult and troubled since my partner and I separated
All day long I'm walkin' 'cause I couldn't get my car started
I have to walk everywhere because my car won't start
Laid off from job and I can't afford to check it
I lost my job and now I can't afford to get my car fixed
I wish somebody'd come along and run in to it and wreck it
I hope someone crashes into my car and wrecks it so I don't have to deal with it anymore
Come on, since my baby parted, come on
I am urging someone to come to me since my partner left me
I can't get started, come on
I am having trouble getting my life started without my partner
I can't afford to check it
I cannot afford to fix my car
Everything is wrong since I been without you
My life has been difficult and unhappy since we've been apart
Every night I lay awake thinkin' about you
I cannot stop thinking about my partner and it is keeping me awake at night
Every time the phone rings sounds like thunder
Whenever the phone rings, it startles me like thunder because I hope it is my partner, but it never is
Some stupid jerk tryin' to reach another number
People keep calling me looking for someone else and it frustrates me because they are not my partner
Everything is wrong since I last saw you baby
My life has been difficult and troubled since I last saw my partner
I really want to see you and I don't mean maybe
I genuinely want to see my partner and I am not just saying it casually
I'm doin' everything tryin' to make you see
I am trying my best to make my partner see how much I want to be with them
That I belong to you honey and you belong to me
I want to make it clear that we belong together
Come on
I am urging my partner to come back to me
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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.