Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode (1959) (macOS)

Released in and further cemented by its appearance on the 1959 album Chuck Berry Is on Top , "Johnny B. Goode" is often hailed as the definitive blueprint for rock 'n' roll. It introduced the world to the first "rock biography," chronicling the rise of a guitar hero from humble roots—a story that mirrored Chuck Berry’s own journey to stardom. The Story Behind the Song

The song reached a new generation in 1985 through its iconic appearance in Back to the Future , where it was depicted in a humorous "bootstrap paradox" as the moment the sound was "invented".

Berry admitted he "borrowed" the opening single-note solo from Louis Jordan’s 1946 R&B hit, "Ain’t That Just Like a Woman". Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode (1959)

"Johnny B. Goode" has achieved a status that few songs can match:

The song's 17-second opening riff is considered one of the most explosive and recognizable in music history. Released in and further cemented by its appearance

It is ranked #7 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Story Behind The Song: Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode

Although the song claims Johnny "never ever learned to read or write so well," Berry was actually well-educated and had a degree in hairdressing and cosmetology. Musical Innovation: The Riff Heard Round the World The Story Behind the Song The song reached

To ensure the track received radio airplay during the Eisenhower era's high racial tensions, Berry changed the original lyric "that little colored boy could play" to "that little country boy".