Maybellene by Chuck Berry

 This song is definitely what I think of when I think of good, classic 50s rock and roll. I think that the sound of rock n' roll is mostly attributed to the electric guitar and drums and the beat they make. The beat is a hard swing and super easy to groove and jive to. I would definitely listen to this song while driving on a road trip or while at a small diner. I also just really love Chuck Berry's voice. He has really good tone and even though he is mainly speak-singing, he still sounds super good and on pitch. It reminds me a little of Johnny Cash with the speak-singing.

As for the lyrics, the chorus itself is pretty repetitious and easy to sing along with. It also is clear when the chorus comes, versus some of the other songs and blues we have previously listened to. I love that lots of the song talks about something completely of topic, Cadillacs and traveling, but then the chorus brings it back to the girl and the name of the song, Maybellene. I think that this song is definitely aimed towards younger audiences, like teens or young adults. I could imagine this being used in a lot of old films as well because it captures, at least in my head, the idea of the 50s.



Comments

  1. NateFebruary 24, 2021 at 9:21 AM

    I'd have to agree with Chuck Barry sounding like Jonny Cash with the sing-speak style, I hadn't even thought about that until you mentioned it😅 And another great point you brought up was that the audience was geared toward teens and young adults. I feel like this was something new that was emerging that music was being more focused on the younger audiences during this time and has really stuck even to this day. Great job on the post!

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  2. Alena AverettFebruary 24, 2021 at 2:14 PM

    This would be such a fun song in a small diner, or cafe or something! I think the thing that sticks out most to me from this song was the video we watched in class and seeing his awesome dance moves while he was singing. I also completely agree with you about the audiences, a lot of the songs we are listening to are starting to be more focused around the youth.

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