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.
You Can't Catch Me
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It custom-made, 'twas a Flight De Ville
With a pow'ful motor and some hideaway wings
Push in on the button and you can hear her sing
Now you can't catch me, baby you can't catch me
'Cause if you get too close, you know I'm gone like a cool breeze
New Jersey Turnpike in the wee wee hours
I was rollin' slowly 'cause of drizzlin' showers
Here come a flat-top, he was movin' up with me
Then come wavin' by me in a little' old souped-up jitney
I put my foot on my tank and I began to roll
Moanin' siren, 'twas the state patrol
So I let out my wings and then I blew my horn
Bye bye New Jersey, I've become airborne
Now you can't catch me, baby you can't catch me
'Cause if you get too close, you know I'm gone like a cool breeze
Flyin' with my baby last Saturday night
Not a gray cloud floatin' in sight
Big full moon shinin' up above
Cuddle up honey, be my love
Sweetest little thing I've ever seen
I'm gonna name you Maybellene
Flyin' on the beam, set on flight control
Radio tuned to rock 'n' roll
Two, three hours passed us by
Five to two dropped to 5:05
Fuel consumption way too fast
Let's get on home before we run out of gas
Now you can't catch me, no baby you can't catch me
'Cause if you get too close, you know I'm gone like a cool breeze
Chuck Berry's song "You Can't Catch Me" speaks of his new air-mobile, a custom-made Flight De Ville with hidden wings and a powerful motor. When the state patrol catches up with him on the New Jersey Turnpike, Berry simply unleashes his wings and soars into the sky, waving goodbye to the officers below. The song's lyrics convey a sense of freedom and escape, with the singer relishing his ability to fly away from trouble and leave his problems behind. Throughout the song, Berry employs rock and roll rhythms and a catchy melody to underscore the thrill and excitement of flying.
The song is an upbeat, driving rock and roll classic that showcases Berry's unique blend of blues, country, and R&B influences. The song embodies the youthful energy and rebellious spirit of the early rock and roll era and would go on to inspire countless musicians in the decades that followed. Interestingly, the song was originally intended to be the opening track of Berry's second album, but was ultimately cut due to concerns about copyright infringement. The song's infectious melody and catchy lyrics have made it a perennial favorite among music fans of all ages.
Line by Line Meaning
I bought a brand-new air-mobile
I purchased a new and unique mode of transportation
It custom-made, 'twas a Flight De Ville
It was a customized car, referred to as the Flight De Ville
With a pow'ful motor and some hideaway wings
It featured a powerful engine and retractable wings
Push in on the button and you can hear her sing
Pressing a button makes the car engine produce sound
Now you can't catch me
I cannot be caught
Baby you can't catch me
My pursuers, specifically referred to as 'Baby', cannot catch me
'Cause if you get too close, you know I'm gone like a cool breeze
If anyone tries to approach me too closely, I'll be gone quickly and effortlessly
New Jersey Turnpike in the wee wee hours
I travelled on a highway called the New Jersey Turnpike late at night
I was rollin' slowly 'cause of drizzlin' showers
I was driving slowly due to the light rain
Here come a flat-top, he was movin' up with me
A police car with a flat roof (a type of car used by law enforcement at the time) was following me on the highway
Then come wavin' goodbye in a little' old souped-up jitney
Then he signaled for me to pull over and waved goodbye as he drove away in a fast car
I put my foot on my tank and I began to roll
I accelerated my car to increase speed
Moanin' siren, 'twas the state patrol
The police followed me and activated their sirens
So I let out my wings and then I blew my horn
I activated my car's retractable wings and trumpet-shaped horn
Bye bye New Jersey, I've become airborne
I took off into the skies, leaving New Jersey behind
Flyin' with my baby last Saturday night
I flew with my significant other on a recent Saturday night
Not a gray cloud floatin' in sight
There were no clouds in the sky
Big full moon shinin' up above
The moon was full and shining brightly in the sky
Cuddle up honey, be my love
I asked my significant other to snuggle with me
Sweetest little thing I've ever seen
I referred to my significant other as the sweetest and most attractive person I've ever seen
I'm gonna name you Maybellene
I gave my significant other a new nickname: Maybellene
Flyin' on the beam, set on flight control
I was flying my car, with precise control and instruments
Radio tuned to rock 'n' roll
I had the radio on and was listening to rock 'n' roll music
Two, three hours passed us by
We flew for two or three hours
Five to two dropped to 5:05
The time decreased by a few minutes from 1:55 AM to 5:05 AM
Fuel consumption way too fast
My car was using up fuel at an alarming rate
Let's get on home before we run out of gas
We needed to return home before we completely ran out of fuel
No, baby, you can't catch me
I repeated that my pursuers could not catch me, directly addressing referred to as 'baby'
'Cause if you get too close, you know I'm gone like a cool breeze
I repeated that I would quickly and effortlessly escape if pursued too closely
Lyrics © MUSIC SERVICES, INC., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Chuck Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nycinstyle
"Come together" at a quicker tempo
1:12
Here come old flat top
He come grooving up slowly instead of - He was moving up with me, etc.
He got joo joo eyeball
He one holy roller
1:18
He wear no shoe shine instead I put my foot in my tank, etc
He got toe jam football
He got monkey finger
He shoot Coca-Cola
Starts at 1:26 - 1:27 Instead of "So, I...", Lennon says, "He say..."
He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free instead of Bye bye NJ I'll be coming home
You can match each Chuck line with a Lennon line, only Chuck is at a quicker tempo
Repeats at times throughout song.
@johnsolis7631
Chuck Berry the greatest rock and roll musician that ever lived.
@JimDeferio
Nope! Not even close.
@Brother_Dre1900
@@JimDeferiovery close.
@JimDeferio
@@Brother_Dre1900 You need to hear the hundreds of rock n roll and rockabilly songs from the 1950's. Berry was mainly rockabilly and he really wasn't special and he outright stole songs from black pianist Johnnie Johnson. Johnson sued but eventually the Statute of Limitations took effect and the lawsuit had to be dropped. For example, does "Roll Over Beethoven" sound like a piano song or a guitar song? I play guitar and to me both "Roll Over Beethoven" AND "Can't Catch Me" sound like a piano songs, and the same for other supposed Chuck Berry songs.
Why rockabilly people like Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and a couple of others were exalted in the public eye and someone like Johnny Burnette wasn't doesn't seem to be about talent and merit but about money and whoever is willing to play along with the record companies.
@axandio
@@JimDeferio It's called "selling your soul for Rock and Roll".
@richardbanker6041
Chuck Berry was the guy who the Beatles and Rolling Stones had in common and both groups loved what he did. Chuck was way ahead of his time as a lyricist and was such a great guitarist.
@redfox7490
The way he was able to hook up the video camera in the women's toilet, no easy but chuck would do anything to watch a woman have a dump, pure class 👍
@mickburke1
way ahead of any time as a lyricist imo ......you can't catch him as a lyricist
@huntergreen1767
@redfox7490 You know, it's pretty petty to only see the bad in someone when they make a few mistakes, and overlook all the great things they did in their life entirely. We're all human beings, and we make mistakes. Stop being so vindictive and shunning people constantly, when, I guarantee you've done something just as bad, or maybe even worse at some point in your life. You may actually find joy one day if you can just learn to forgive.
@bitfenix90
Pimpin' women for decades. Ran brothels not for a few weeks or years, but decades.