Guitar Songs - The World of Chuck Berry

Many learner guitar players go looking for songs to play that suit the mood of a singer alone on stage with his guitar. Maybe, like many people, you gravitate toward songs like "Smoke On The Water", "Iron Man" or "Stairway To Heaven". But there is a whole new direction to go looking for your guitar songs: the music and lyrics of Chuck Berry.

Chuck Berry's influence on rock and roll is indisputable. Musical movements have always converged around a central figure and Chuck Berry's songwriting talent and enthusiastic approach to sharing his music with diverse audiences have inspired many rock and roll performers and generations of music lovers. Chuck Berry's songs are stories of people who meet life with unfailing optimism and they were ideal lyrics to blend with the new rock and roll rhythms.

Many legendary guitar players owe their success to Chuck Berry's singular relationship with the guitar. His guitar playing is an extension of his personality just like his lyrics and like his songs, his guitar riffs and licks made young guys want to pick up a guitar and make it talk. John Lennon, Keith Richards, George Thorogood, George Harrison were among the many rock and roll celebrities who were inspired by Chuck Berry. Angus Young of AC/DC even adopted Chuck Berry's stage move of balancing on one leg and propelling yourself forward by moving the other leg back and forth. It is called the "duckwalk" and looks nothing like a duck walking but somehow the name fits.

Chuck Berry's songs are about pretty girls, good times and fast cars. The stories are easy to identify with and surprisingly easy to play. One Berry song that is a real landmark is "Roll Over Beethoven". In this song Berry manages to fit in references to a couple of classical composers, a nursery rhyme and a some other rock and roll songs. It was written in 1956 and served notice on the music-loving public that rock and roll had arrived.

"Rock And Roll Music" is another song designed to announce to the world that there was a new force in the world of popular music. The song has been covered by The Beatles, The Beachboys and rock and roll pioneer, Bill Haley.

A song that has touched the hearts of millions, "Memphis Tennessee" is a poignant story unfolded in Chuck Berry's plain talking style leaving the punch line of the story to the very end. This song was covered as an instrumental by Lonnie Mack and by Johnny Rivers who had a similar style of singing to Chuck Berry himself. An interesting side note to this song is that Berry played the slide guitar on the record and also played the bass and rhythm guitar.

Another song that springs an interesting predicament on the listener in the final verse is "No Particular Place To Go", a song about young love thwarted by a car's seat belt.

"Ridin' along in my calaboose

Still trying to get her belt a-loose

All the way home I held a grudge

For the safety belt that wouldn't budge

Crusin' and playin' the radio

With no particular place to go"

The phrase "no particular place to go" at the start of the song is imbued with lusty enthusiasm. By the final verse the phrase takes a tone of hopelessness and frustration. Just like real life.

So if you are looking for the quintessential guitar songs, do not go past the contagious rhythm and the deceptively simple lyrics of Chuck Berry. But remember your humility. As Jerry Lee Lewis' mother once said: "You and Elvis are pretty good, but you're no Chuck Berry."

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

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By Ricky Sharples