Ray Edward Cochran was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota; however, as his parents were from Oklahoma, he considered himself an Oklahoman, and introduced himself as such in interviews. He took music lessons in school, but eventually quit the band to play drums. Rather than take piano lessons, Cochran began learning guitar, playing the country music he heard on the radio. As time went on, Cochran moved to Los Angeles, California in 1953. Together with Hank Cochran, Eddie formed The Cochran Brothers, though the two shared no relation.
Around the same time, Cochran worked as a session musician, but aspired to be a songwriter and artist in his own right, and recorded a demo with songwriting partner and future manager, Jerry Capeheart. Cochran's first notable foray into the public eye was as one of the many performing artists featured in the musical comedy film The Girl Can't Help It starring Jayne Mansfield, eventually resulting in a recording contract with Liberty. He would follow up on this appearance by appearing in several films of the same genre. He also performed as a support act for such stars as Gene Vincent and Little Richard, who were among Cochran's co-stars in the aforementioned film.
For his recordings, Cochran often used experimental techniques that would later become part and parcel for other recording artists, notably recording numerous overdubs in order to create the rich, distinctive guitar sound for "Summertime Blues" and "C'mon Everybody". "Twenty Flight Rock", the song Cochran performed in The Girl Can't Help It, was the very first song a young Paul McCartney played for John Lennon as his audition for Lennon's group, The Quarrymen, which would later metamorphose into The Beatles.
Cochran was killed in an automobile accident in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England during a tour of Britain with Gene Vincent. Vincent and Cochran's fiancee, who were both in the car, survived the crash. Scholars have noted that, somewhat eerily, Cochran's last single release in his lifetime was "Three Steps to Heaven", although the song's lyrical context has nothing to do with death. Cochran's death occurred little over a year after the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, to whom he paid tribute in his recording of the song "Three Stars", which remained unreleased until 1966.
A majority of Cochran's recorded legacy would be released posthumously; in his lifetime, only one album, Singin' to My Baby (1957), was ever released. Perhaps owing to the brevity of his career, Cochran never attained the same star status as other rockers of the era; however, his lyrical themes of teenage desires and rebellion, being somewhat more morose and raucous than his contemporaries, had a profound influence on many of the greatest artists of the '60s and '70s, such as The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones.
Itty Bitty Betty
Eddie Cochran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well she's gonna rock away all her blues
Well she's a-gonna make it to the record hop
And when she starts a-dancin', man she ain't gonna stop
Well Itty-Bitty-Betty she just loves to dance
When she starts a-swingin', man you ain't got a chance
Itty-Bitty-Betty loves the record hops
Well your toes will be a-poppin' right through your socks
And when you rock with Betty don't you rock too slow
She'll rock you to the left and she'll rock you to the right
If you see bitty Betty you better duck out of sight
The song "Itty Bitty Betty" by Eddie Cochran is a fun and upbeat rock and roll song that tells the story of a young woman named Betty who loves to dance. The lyrics describe how Betty has some cool shoes and is going to a record hop to dance away her blues. When Betty starts dancing, she's unstoppable and everyone around her is sure to get up and dance too. In fact, the lyrics warn that if you can't keep up with her, you better duck out of sight!
Line by Line Meaning
Well Itty-Bitty-Betty got some rockin' shoes
Itty-Bitty-Betty has an exceptional pair of shoes.
Well she's gonna rock away all her blues
She will dance away all her worries and sadness.
Well she's a-gonna make it to the record hop
She will definitely attend the record hop event.
And when she starts a-dancin', man she ain't gonna stop
When she begins to dance, she will not stop.
Well Itty-Bitty-Betty she just loves to dance
Itty-Bitty-Betty has a strong passion for dancing.
When she starts a-swingin', man you ain't got a chance
When she starts dancing energetically, nobody can compete with her.
Itty-Bitty-Betty loves the record hops
Itty-Bitty-Betty enjoys attending the record hop events.
Well your toes will be a-poppin' right through your socks
When you dance with Itty-Bitty-Betty, your toes will move so much that your socks will not stay put.
Well now Itty-Bitty-Betty, just a-watch her go
Observe Itty-Bitty-Betty moving to the beat of the music.
And when you rock with Betty don't you rock too slow
If you accompany Itty-Bitty-Betty in dancing, ensure that you dance with the same speed and energy as her.
She'll rock you to the left and she'll rock you to the right
She will make you sway to the left and sway to the right.
If you see bitty Betty you better duck out of sight
When you notice Itty-Bitty-Betty, it is better to avoid her or you will have to dance.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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