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.
I'm In The Danger Zone
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some I won't do no more
Things that I used to do
Some I won't do no more
Used to sit and hold your hand, baby
Begging you, not today
And I search always anything
Used to search all night for you baby
And I search always anything
Yeah, and I'm new alone again, darlin'
You was out somewhere with your other man
I'm gonna send you back to your mother, baby
Or I'm gonna back to my family too
I'm gonna send you back to your mother, baby
Or I'm gonna back to my family too
Nothing I ever do pleases you, darlin'
Or I just can't get along with you
The lyrics of Chuck Berry's song "I'm in the Danger Zone" immediately convey a sense of exhaustion and frustration as the singer reflects on how some of the things he used to do are no longer part of his life. He used to hold his lover's hand and search all night for her, but now he no longer does those things. The lyrics have a melancholic tone, and it seems like the singer is tired of trying to please his lover or make the relationship work.
The lyrics suggest that the singer has reached a point where he is contemplating ending the relationship. He talks about sending his lover back to her mother or going back to his family, implying that he wants out of the relationship. The lyrics also suggest that the singer might suspect his lover of being unfaithful to him, as he mentions that she was out somewhere with her other man. Overall, the song's lyrics convey a sense of heartbreak, bitterness, and a willingness to move on from a relationship that is no longer working.
Line by Line Meaning
Things that I used to do
Reflecting on past actions
Some I won't do no more
Deciding to not repeat past mistakes
Used to sit and hold your hand, baby
Describing a happy past memory with partner
Begging you, not today
Expressing a desire to spend the day together
Used to search all night for you baby
Describing a past effort to find partner
And I search always anything
Describing a dedicated search for partner
Yeah, and I'm new alone again, darlin'
Expressing a feeling of loneliness
You was out somewhere with your other man
Implying partner's infidelity
I'm gonna send you back to your mother, baby
Threatening to end the relationship
Or I'm gonna back to my family too
Choosing to prioritize family over the relationship
Nothing I ever do pleases you, darlin'
Feeling unappreciated in the relationship
Or I just can't get along with you
Acknowledging incompatibility with partner
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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.