Cultura Americana

Prof. Stephen Wilson

Second semester – A.Y. 2018/2019

Giulia-Nemeye Giubertoni
2018253536
April 26, 2019

Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n Roll (1987)

Chuck Berry

Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n Roll (1987)

documentary deals with the figure of Chuck
Berry, an African American singer and one of
the pioneers of Rock ‘n’ Roll music.
Berry gave voice to few of the most famous
songs dating back to the 70s and the 80s. Just
to name some: Johnny B. Goode; You Never
Can Tell; Maybellene; Let It Rock; Roll Over
Beethoven.

Chuck Berry’s Story

Chuck Berry’s young years go by in the usual way, meaning they go by exactly as expected
it would be for any Afro-American boy in the 40s in the USA. Then, there a lot of racial prejudices
to fight against.

Furthermore, he is not a person without character (as it is well evident in the documentary). During
his adolescence, both for his turbulent personality and also for attending a not very recommendable
gang, there is no shortage in his curriculum in years spent in either reformatory or prison. On the
other hand, Berry will eventually benefit from this detention as it is this way that he reliably
understands that music can be his only way to emerge and stay away (or better, …further) from
certain criminal situations.
Once out of jail, Berry will marry and, while never abandoning the music, commit himself to
raising money arranging works in St. Louis...

Chuck Berry’ Musical Career

It is highly probable that before success came, Berry considered music as his second job,
playing with various formations, and with a special predilection for blues genre, and not disdaining
white music, like country genre.

However, he will start collaborating with other artists such as the pianist Johnnie Johnson for
example. It is from the beginning of these brilliant collaborations (more or less from the mid-50s to
the 60s) that Berry will realize many of his hits.
 Giulia-Nemeye Giubertoni
2018253536

Thanks to brilliant guitar performances, Chuck Berry also stood out of having managed to make the
instrument so much more central in his music. During the recordings of Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n Roll it
is indeed impossible not to get involved and amazed in his apparently crazy fussiness to how the
song needs to be played, or his natural attitude to juggle on stage, duck-walking, dancing, having
fun, …inventing himself.

In 1959, suddenly problems with justice come back again: Berry is accused of sexual abuse
with a minor. He was already very famous back then and would leave prison and be free again in
1964. As expectable, it is not easy to sell again and reentering the music market after such a
scandal. These are the years of the so-called “British invasion”… It is therefore “the British” who
would “save” him: groups like The Rolling Stones, or The Beatles, or The Beach Boys would help
revive Chuck Berry’s name.

Nonetheless, Berry will definitely come back to his celebrity only in the 70s: it is the 1972 when he
records a new version of his My Ding-a-Ling, number-one Billboard Hot 100 single in the USA.
In 1987 the Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll documentary is filmed. The main inspiration of the
documentary is the festival made in his honor for his 60th birthday. Keith Richards, Eric Clapton,
and Etta James appear and sing in the documentary.

Some Songs By Chuck Berry

Some of Chuck Berry’s songs can be somehow show some inspiration taken from its
singer’s story. Johnny B. Goode for example deals about the story of a boy with humble beginnings,
but who is incredibly talented at playing guitar. Of course, not all the facts correspond to its
performer’s life, as from the place of birth: Berry was from St. Louis, while this unreal imagined
character of Johnny B. Goode is from “deep down in Louisiana close to New Or leans”.
Moreover, “that little country boy could play” is not explicitly defined as “colored”. One thing is
evident, though: he dreams about success and wishes that maybe someday his
[…] name will be in lights
saying “Johnny B. Goode tonight”

You Never Can Tell is about a young couple getting married:

It was a teenage wedding, and the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle
Berry here also creates a neologism, calling “coolerator” the “refrigerator”.

You Never Can Tell and others of Berry’s musical production reflect the perspective and experience
of young people or, more simply, his time’s society’s thoughts and passions such as buying shoes…

Let It Rock:
I gotta get some money to buy some brand new shoes;
..or driving cars:
Maybellene:
A Cadillac arollin' on the open road
Nothin' will outrun my V8 Ford;
 Giulia-Nemeye Giubertoni
2018253536

You Can’t Catch Me

I bought a brand-new air-mobile
It custom-made, 'twas a Flight De Ville
With a pow'ful motor and some hideaway wings
One could consequently claim Bruce Springsteen was not the first rocker to deal with the liberating
power of a fast car, as well as the driving, motoring!

What surprised and amazed the most is the way Chuck Berry seems to be conscious of his success,
of his importance in the music scene. This appears evident by analyzing the lyrics of the Roll Over
Beethoven song. Music back then was beginning to change, thanks to the birth of the 5 0s’ Rock and
Roll. The lyrics in this song are wonderful and offer a funny perspective on the phenomenon:
I got the rockin' pneumonia, I need a shot of rythmn and blues.
Roll over Beethoven and tell Tschaikowsky the news.

Sweet Little Sixteen’s reality of a 16-year-old fan who is “just got to have / About half a million / Framed
autographs”, whose “wallet's filled with pictures” and “gets so excited”. This song can offer an ironic
reading.
Berry sang for and wanted to expand his public and hopefully reach white teen audiences, whose
life belonged to a world well different from his: comfortable suburban life.
Who knows, he probably wanted to be on the tour the imaginary Sweet Little Sixteen asked her
parents’ permission to follow around, and the person whose face fills the teenager’s wallet fan-
pictures. His catchy songs and original performances eventually got him there for a brief time.
 Giulia-Nemeye Giubertoni
2018253536

Sources

Golding, Bruce. Chuck Berry Was More Than A Rock Icon. NY POST. March 21, 2017. Direct link to the
article: https://nypost.com/2017/03/21/the-dark-past-of-chuck-berrys-scandal-filled-sex-life/. Last
accessed on May 3, 2019.

Hasted, N. Chuck Berry was not always a nice man, but his music stood the test of time. March 19, 2017.
Direct link to the article: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/chuck-berry-death-90-the-beatles-music-
legend-a7638351.html. Last accessed on May 4, 2019.

Kasten, R. Chuck Berry's 10 Greatest Rock & Roll Moments. October 12, 2016. Direct link to the article:
https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/chuck-berrys-10-greatest-rock-and-roll-
moments/Content?oid=3123477. Last accessed on May 5, 2019.

Robbins, I. A. British Invasion (music). Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Direct link to the article:
https://www.britannica.com/event/British-Invasion. Last accessed on May 4, 2019.