Rolling Stone's Top 20
Johnny B Goode- #7
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Released-1958
This mostly autobiographical song depicts a boy named Johnny and his journey to becoming a musician. He was poorly educated as he “couldn’t read or white so well” yet had abundant musical talent. This “country boy” (the lyric was originally supposed to be “colored boy”) is seen practicing out by the railroads and impressing the local passerby’s. The final verse of the song describes a conversation with Johnny’s mother who foreshadows his future success as one day his “name will be in lights.” This song is a testament to the conditions of life that black people endured during this time period and the dedication that was required to become successful as a black musician.
Themes: Life, Hardship, Education, Music Business
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“Maybellene” #18
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Released- 1955
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This song tells the story of a girl who keeps cheating on her man. Various cars appear in the lyrics; Berry sings about chasing Maybellene in his V8 Ford while she drag races a man in a Cadillac with her Coupe de Ville. Chuck Berry knew that his audience was teenagers, so he wrote the song to appeal to that crowd - the ones fascinated with cars and experiencing young love. Berry also took care to sing it as clearly as possible so it appeal with a white audience.
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Themes- Love, Emotional- Dishonesty in Relationship