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.
Maybelline
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've started back doin' the things you used to do
As I was motivatin' over the hill I saw Maybelline in a Coupe de Ville
Cadillac rollin' on an open road but nothin' outrun my V8 Ford
Cadillac doin' about ninety-five bumper to bumper rollin' side to side
Maybelline why can't you be true...
The Ford got hot and wouldn't do no more
It done got cloudy and started to rain I tooted my horn for the passin' lane
The rain water poured up under my motor hood
I knew that were doin' my motor good
Maybelline why can't you be true...
[ piano - guitar ]
Well the motor cooled down the heat went down and
And that's when I heard that highway sound
Cadillac lookin' like a ton of lead a hundred and ten a half a mile ahead
Cadillac lookin' like it's sittin' still I caught Maybelline at the top of the hill
Maybelline why can't you be true...
Oh Maybelline Maybelline Maybelline Maybelline...
Chuck Berry's song "Maybelline" depicts a man's quest to catch his cheating girlfriend Maybelline. The song has a catchy beat that complements the lyrics perfectly. The song's opening lines express the man's frustration with Maybelline's dishonesty when he sings, "Maybelline, why can't you be true, oh Maybelline, why can't you be true? You've started back doin' the things you used to do." He then narrates how he sees Maybelline in a Cadillac driving down the open road while he is driving his V8 Ford, trying to catch her.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the chase as Maybelline accelerates to ninety-five miles per hour in her Cadillac. The man, driving his V8 Ford, wants to overtake her but it is futile because Maybelline's Cadillac is too fast. The frustration of the man manifests in the lyrics as he asks Maybelline why she can't be true to him. The situation worsens when it starts to rain and the Ford's engine floods with rainwater, forcing the man to pull over to the side of the road. The Cadillac continues to be at the top of the hill, mocking the man. As the rain clears, the man's Ford cools down, and he attempts to catch up with Maybelline, which he eventually does.
Overall, "Maybelline" is a great rock 'n' roll song that depicts the quintessential American dream of chasing success, capturing that happiness, and ultimately losing it to dishonesty, a common theme in Chuck Berry's music.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybelline why can't you be true oh Maybelline why can't you be true
Chuck Berry wonders why Maybelline cannot be truthful
You've started back doin' the things you used to do
Chuck Berry notices that Maybelline has returned to her old ways
As I was motivatin' over the hill I saw Maybelline in a Coupe de Ville
Chuck Berry narrates how he saw Maybelline driving in a Coupe de Ville
Cadillac rollin' on an open road but nothin' outrun my V8 Ford
Chuck Berry boasts that his V8 Ford is faster than Maybelline's Cadillac
Cadillac doin' about ninety-five bumper to bumper rollin' side to side
Chuck Berry observes that Maybelline is driving recklessly at high speed
Well the Cadillac pulled up ahead of the Ford
Maybelline's Cadillac overtakes Chuck Berry's Ford
The Ford got hot and wouldn't do no more
Chuck Berry's Ford overheats and becomes unable to continue
It done got cloudy and started to rain I tooted my horn for the passin' lane
As it starts to rain, Chuck Berry signals for a passing lane
The rain water poured up under my motor hood
Rainwater causes troubles for Chuck Berry's Ford's engine
I knew that were doin' my motor good
Chuck Berry sees the rainwater as beneficial for his engine
Well the motor cooled down the heat went down and
After some time, Chuck Berry's engine cools down
And that's when I heard that highway sound
Chuck Berry hears the sound of a distant car on the highway
Cadillac lookin' like a ton of lead a hundred and ten a half a mile ahead
Maybelline's Cadillac appears to be much faster than before and far ahead
Cadillac lookin' like it's sittin' still I caught Maybelline at the top of the hill
Despite Maybelline's speed, Chuck Berry catches up to her
Oh Maybelline Maybelline Maybelline Maybelline...
Chuck Berry repeats Maybelline's name as the song ends
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Ellas McDaniel
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.