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.
Oh Louisiana
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, Louisiana, how can a true love go so wrong ?
She put me in shame and in sorrow and I come home tomorrow
Oh, Louisiana
Oh, Louisiana, yea, yea, Creole baby, Cajun queens
Quaint porches and windows, filet de gumbo, the Basin beans
Your beautiful Delta and bayous in greens
Oh, Louisiana, yea-e-e, yea, I'm flyin' on Delta Nine-o-three
Right over St. Louis, high over Memphis, Tennessee
On southward to the sea, where I long to be
Oh, Louisiana
Oh, o, Louisiana, yea, yea, them Yankee nights are cold and long
Oh, Louisiana, she broke my heart and wrecked my home
She shamed me in sorrow, to face my tomorrow
Oh, take me back, oh, Louisiana
In Chuck Berry's "Oh Louisiana," the singer is expressing his yearning to return to Louisiana after a long period of absence. The song highlights his struggle with a past love, who caused him pain and humiliation. He describes Louisiana as a place of beauty and culture, filled with "Creole babies" and "Cajun queens," quaint porches and windows, and mouth-watering dishes like "filet de gumbo" and "Basin beans." He longs to see the Mississippi delta's lush green bayous again and be back home in Louisiana, his true love.
The lyrics portray the deep heartache of being away from a place that holds so much meaning for the singer, complicating the situation is the person who caused him heartbreak, also exists in that place. His voice carries a mix of ache and longing for the forgiving embrace of Louisiana. The lines "She shamed me in sorrow, to face my tomorrow" denotes an unbearable sadness and the need for him to make peace with it, returning to the place he considers home.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, Louisiana, I stayed away from you too long
I regret not being in Louisiana for a long time.
Oh, Louisiana, how can a true love go so wrong ?
I am deeply saddened how my relationship in Louisiana turned out.
She put me in shame and in sorrow and I come home tomorrow
I feel ashamed and sorrowful because of her, but I am going back home tomorrow.
Oh, Louisiana, yea, yea, Creole baby, Cajun queens
Louisiana has beautiful Creole and Cajun people.
Quaint porches and windows, filet de gumbo, the Basin beans
The place is peaceful with striking features such as porches, gumbo, and beans.
Your beautiful Delta and bayous in greens
The beauty of Delta and bayous in Louisiana is immaculate and natural.
Oh, Louisiana, yea-e-e, yea, I'm flyin' on Delta Nine-o-three
I am excited and pleased to be flying to Louisiana on Delta Nine-o-three.
Right over St. Louis, high over Memphis, Tennessee
I will fly over St. Toni and Memphis, Tennessee to reach Louisiana.
On southward to the sea, where I long to be
I deeply yearn to be close to the sea in the south of Louisiana.
Oh, o, Louisiana, yea, yea, them Yankee nights are cold and long
The cold and lonely nights in Yankee contrast Louisiana's warm days and pleasant nights.
Oh, Louisiana, she broke my heart and wrecked my home
Louisiana ruined my heart and home.
She shamed me in sorrow, to face my tomorrow
I face tomorrow with shame and sorrow because of Louisiana.
Oh, take me back, oh, Louisiana
I plead that I be taken back to Louisiana.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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.