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.
The Song Of My Love
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This little love-light of mine are you gonna let it shine
This little love-light of mine are you gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
With your arms wrapped around me my little love-light will shine
With your arms wrapped around me my little love-light will shine
With your arms wrapped around me my little love-light will shine
Someday soon you promised me you'd make my love-light shine
Someday soon you promised me you'd make my love-light shine
Someday soon you promised me you'd make my love-light shine
With a kiss, your arms around me, make it shine
Wee, wee hours come and let my love-light shine
In the wee, wee hours let my lil' love-light shine
In the wee, wee hours let my lil' love-light shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
In Chuck Berry's song The Song Of My Love, he uses the metaphor of a love-light as a representation of his love for his partner. The song suggests that he wants his partner to accept and reciprocate his love, and if it is received and nurtured, then the love-light will shine bright. He wants his partner to embrace and be proud of their love, to let it shine and not hide it away. In the first verse, he asks his partner if they will let his love-light shine, indicating that he wants his partner's understanding and support to make their love work.
In the second verse, Berry suggests that with his partner's arms around him, his little love-light will shine. This reinforces the notion that he wants his partner to embrace him fully so that their love can flourish. In the third verse, he refers to a promise made by his partner to make his love-light shine. The use of the word "someday" suggests that this promise has been made before but has not yet been fulfilled. He urges his partner to make good on their promise and to show him their love with a kiss and an embrace.
In the final verse, Berry wants his love-light to shine in the wee, wee hours of the night. This indicates that his love is not just for show, but something that is constant and enduring even in difficult times. The repetition of the phrase "Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine" in each verse reinforces the idea that he wants his love to be acknowledged, accepted, and celebrated.
Line by Line Meaning
This little love-light of mine are you gonna let it shine
Will you allow my love to shine bright and radiate around us like a little light?
With your arms wrapped around me my little love-light will shine
I feel loved and happy when you hug me tightly, and it illuminates my love for you like a little light.
Someday soon you promised me you'd make my love-light shine
You've assured me that you'll help me express my affection for you better by making it shine like a light very soon.
Wee, wee hours come and let my love-light shine
During the late hours of the night when I cannot sleep, I want my love for you to radiate brightly like a little light.
Lyrics © ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP
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.