Ryder is noted for his gruff, wailing singing style, much influenced by Little Richard, and his dynamic stage performances, influenced by James Brown.
Ryder first appeared fronting a band called Billy Lee & The Rivieras, which had limited success until they met the songwriter / record producer, Bob Crewe. Crewe renamed the group Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, and they recorded several hit records on his DynoVoice Records label in the mid to late 1960s, most notably "Devil With A Blue Dress On".
Since the early 1970s, Ryder's musical endeavors have not met with the same success that they did before. Ryder himself has blamed his lack of subsequent hits on his unsuccessful aim at the Tom Jones-type cabaret/night club audience just as the counterculture was becoming dominant in 1967 and 1968. His last successful release was Mitch Ryder's Detroit in 1971, which featured the drummer from the original Detroit Wheels, now called Detroit, updating his soul music-influenced sound to the 1970s hard rock era.
He has continued to record and tour but comebacks have eluded him. Ryder's influence is felt in the music of Bob Seger and Bruce Springsteen among others.
Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels
* 1965 "Come See About Me" / "A Face In the Crowd" (New Voice Records 828 Promotion Copy. Uncertain if ever released commercially in the U.S.)
* 1965 "Jenny Take A Ride!" (highest U.S. chart position #10)
* 1966 "You Get Your Kicks"
* 1966 "Little Latin Lupe Lu" (#17)
* 1966 "Devil With A Blue Dress On" / "Good Golly, Miss Molly" (#4)
* 1967 "Sock It To Me-Baby!"
Mitch Ryder
* 1969 "I'd Rather Go To Jail" / "Joy" (New Voice Records 824)
Detroit Featuring Mitch Ryder
* 1972 "Rock and Roll" (written by Lou Reed)
Rock 'N Roll
Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There was nothin' happening at all
Every time she puts on the radio
There was nothin' goin' down at all, not at all
Then, one fine mornin', she puts on a New York station
You know, she couldn't believe what she heard at all
She started shakin' to that fine, fine music
You know, her life was saved by rock 'n 'roll
Despite all the imputations
You know, you could just go out
And dance to a rock 'n' roll station
And it was all right, hey baby,
You know, it was all right
Jenny said, when she was just about five years old
'You know, my parents are gonna be the death of us all
Two TV sets and two Cadillac cars
Well, you know, ain't gonna help me at all`
Then, one fine morning, she turns on a New York station
She doesn't believe what she hears at all
Ooh, she started dancin' to that fine, fine music
You know, her life was saved by rock 'n' roll
Yeah, rock 'n' roll
Despite all the computations
You could just dance to that rock 'n' roll station
And baby, it was all right, yeah
Hey, it was all right
Hey, here she comes now
Jenny said, when she was just about five years old
'Hey, you know, there's nothin' happening at all, not at all
Every time I put on the radio
You know, there's nothin' goin' down at all, not at all
But, one fine morning, she hears a New York station
She couldn't believe what she heard at all, hey, not at all
She started dancing to that fine, fine music
You know, her life was saved by rock 'n' roll
Yes, rock 'n 'roll
Despite all the computations
You know, you could just dance to the rock 'n' roll station
All right
All right, all right, and it was all right
Oh, listen to me now, it was all right
Come on now, believe me, it was all right
It was all right
Hey, it's all right now
The lyrics to "Rock & Roll" by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels are a testament to the transformative power of music. The song tells the story of Jenny, who at five years old was disillusioned with the music of her time. She found it lacking and uninteresting, but one day she stumbled upon a New York radio station and was blown away by what she heard. The music was different, and it changed her life. She started dancing to the beat and found solace in the power and energy of rock and roll. The song celebrates the joy and freedom of dancing to rock and roll, highlighting the fact that despite all the stress and pressure of daily life, music can make everything feel okay.
Line by Line Meaning
Jenny said, when she was just five years old
When Jenny was just a child
There was nothin' happening at all
She found everything boring
Every time she puts on the radio
Whenever she played the radio
There was nothin' goin' down at all, not at all
She couldn't find anything interesting to listen to
Then, one fine mornin', she puts on a New York station
One day she played a radio station from New York
You know, she couldn't believe what she heard at all
She was shocked by what she heard
She started shakin' to that fine, fine music
She started dancing to that great music
You know, her life was saved by rock 'n 'roll
Rock 'n' roll changed her life for the better
Despite all the imputations
Despite everyone's opinions
You know, you could just go out
You could just go out
And dance to a rock 'n' roll station
And dance to a rock 'n' roll station
And it was all right, hey baby,
And it was okay
Jenny said, when she was just about five years old
Jenny repeated her story from when she was five years old
'You know, my parents are gonna be the death of us all
Her parents were a source of stress
Two TV sets and two Cadillac cars
They owned two TVs and two Cadillacs
Well, you know, ain't gonna help me at all`
It wasn't beneficial for her
Ooh, she started dancin' to that fine, fine music
She couldn't help but dance to that great music
Yes, rock 'n 'roll
Rock 'n' roll was her salvation
All right
It's okay
Hey, here she comes now
Here she comes now
Despite all the computations
Despite everyone's opinion
You could just dance to that rock 'n' roll station
You could just dance to that rock 'n' roll station
All right
It's okay
All right, all right, and it was all right
It's all okay
Oh, listen to me now, it was all right
Believe me, it's all okay
Come on now, believe me, it was all right
It really was all okay
Hey, it's all right now
Everything is okay now
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Lou Reed
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bernardelias976
I am a Proud Detroiter!
@dennisdavis2716
Definitely the best version of this great song. I like how you included the acoustic segue from "It Ain't Easy" into "Rock & Roll" I always did that on my mix tapes. Rock On!
@BrooklynJoe
Dennis Davis You know it!
Thanks!
@matthewtaylor7316
Thanks Brooklyn Joe. I love this tune. I remember back in '71 when it actually was played on the radio once or twice. Best tune he ever did and it pretty much never got out of Michigan. I got the album that has the short version. It's hard to find a good HD quality long version. where'd you find your's here. This song was written by Lou Reed. RIP
@broncodeviltexas
I have this 45 and always wanted an MP3 of this song. There always seemed to be a different version on the internet. This sounds like my 45. Great song and vocal.
@BrooklynJoe
Thanks for the comment Matt! I had the LP myself way back in '71, could have sworn this is the version on that LP(?) Anyway, paid Amazon .99 to download the one you hear above :-D
@PIERPILING
GLORIOUS !!!!
@matthewtaylor7316
Thanks Brooklyn Joe. I love this tune. I remember back in '71 when it actually was played on the radio once or twice. Best tune he ever did and it pretty much never got out of Michigan. This song was written by Lou Reed. RIP
@urfguy
Fantastic! Thanks for this.
@RIKLASVEGAS
Loved this video! Great job 😎