Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry

Johnny B. Goode
by Chuck Berry

Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans
Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
Who never ever learned to read or write so well
But he could play a guitar just like a-ringin' a bell

Go go
Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Johnny B. Goode

He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track
Oh, the engineers would see him sitting in the shade
Strumming with the rhythm that the drivers made
People passing by they would stop and say
"Oh my what that little country boy could play"

Go go
Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Johnny B. Goode

His mother told him "Someday you will be a man
And you will be the leader of a big old band
Many people coming from miles around
To hear you play your music when the sun go down
Maybe someday your name will be in lights
Saying "Johnny B. Goode tonight"

Go go
Go Johnny go
Go go go Johnny go
Go go go Johnny go
Go go go Johnny go
Go
Johnny B. Goode

Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: Chuck Berry

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Johnny B. Goode is a seminal 1958 rock and roll song by Chuck Berry, ranked by Rolling Stone as the seventh greatest song ever on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and the best guitar song on their list of the 100 greatest guitar songs of all time.

Written by Berry in 1955, the song is a rock and roll version of the American dream — a poor country boy becomes a star by hard work and inspired guitar playing. This image of unknowns Read Full BioJohnny B. Goode is a seminal 1958 rock and roll song by Chuck Berry, ranked by Rolling Stone as the seventh greatest song ever on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and the best guitar song on their list of the 100 greatest guitar songs of all time.

Written by Berry in 1955, the song is a rock and roll version of the American dream — a poor country boy becomes a star by hard work and inspired guitar playing. This image of unknowns with no future achieving fame and fortune through music became a paradigm for countless songs and even careers to follow.

The opening guitar riff on "Johnny B. Goode" may be the most famous single riff in rock and roll history. It is essentially a note-for-note copy of the opening single-note solo on Louis Jordan's "Ain't That Just Like a Woman" (1946), played by guitarist Carl Hogan.

Although partly autobiographical, the inspiration for the song is said to have been Johnnie Johnson who played the piano and composed several songs with Berry, and is considered a major contributor to the unmistakable Berry sound. On earlier unreleased takes Chuck sang "colored boy" instead of "country boy", but it was changed for fear of it not being played on the radio. As a possible source for the last name, it has been noted that Berry was born on Goode Avenue in St. Louis.

Aware of the importance of the song to his fame and his image, Berry has written two more songs about Johnny, "Bye Bye Johnny" and "Go Go Go", and also titled an instrumental album as "Concerto in B. Goode".

Berry's recording of the song was included on the Voyager Golden Record, attached to the Voyager spacecraft as representing rock and roll, one of three American songs included among many cultural achievements of humanity.

Even though Johnny Johnson played piano on many other Chuck Berry songs, it was actually Lafayette Leake who played the instrument on this song.