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.
Fraulein
Chuck Berry Lyrics
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Lives an old German's daughter
By the banks of the old river Rhine
Where I loved her and left her
But I can't forget her
'Cause I miss my pretty Fraulein
Fraulein, Fraulein
When the stars seem to shine
By the same stars above you
I swear that I love you
You are my pretty Fraulein
When my memories wander
Away over yonder
To the sweetheart that I left behind
In a moment of glory
A face comes before me
The face of my pretty Fraulein
Fraulein, Fraulein
Walk down by the river
Pretend that your hand's holding mine
By the same stars above you
I swear that I love you
Chuck Berry's song "Fraulein" tells the story of a man who fell in love with a German girl who lived by the river Rhine. He loved her and then left her, but he cannot forget her. The singer of the song suggests that at night, when the stars shine, he looks up towards the heavens and thinks of his Fraulein. He tells her that he loves her, and he wants her to walk down by the river Rhine and pretend that his hand is holding hers.
The song is a nostalgic tribute to a lost love, and the lyrics evoke the sense of longing and regret that the singer feels. The use of the stars as a recurring image underscores the theme of separation and distance. The singer associates the stars with the Fraulein, and he swears his love for her.
Line by Line Meaning
Far across the blue waters
Over a vast body of water, a long distance away
Lives an old German's daughter
A young woman of German ancestry, born to an elderly man
By the banks of the old river Rhine
Residing close to the edge of the historic river Rhine
Where I loved her and left her
A place where I fell in love, then departed from her presence
But I can't forget her
Despite the passage of time, I am unable to erase any memories of her existence
'Cause I miss my pretty Fraulein
I yearn for the companionship of my beautiful Fraulein
Fraulein, Fraulein
Addressing the woman of interest, using her name twice for emphasis
Look up toward the heavens each night
Directing her attention to the sky on a nightly basis
When the stars seem to shine
At the moment the stars are brightly glowing
By the same stars above you
Referring to the stars shining in both of their skies
I swear that I love you
I deeply profess my love and dedication towards you
You are my pretty Fraulein
You are the one whom I think of as my beautiful companion
When my memories wander
My thoughts unintentionally drift towards recollection
Away over yonder
Far and out of sight
To the sweetheart that I left behind
To the woman whom I used to romantically pursue but left for another life
In a moment of glory
During a brief instance of prideful triumph
A face comes before me
I am reminded of a physical image, clearly reconstructed in my mind
The face of my pretty Fraulein
The striking and memorable facial features of the woman I still desire
Walk down by the river
Strolling along the edge of the water
Pretend that your hand's holding mine
Imagine that my hand has interlocked with yours
By the same stars above you
The stars, in the same sky as you and me
I swear that I love you
I truly and honestly declare my love towards you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LAWTON WILLIAMS
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.