Chuck Berry - Rock and Roll Music

First performance: 28/04/1973


Coverinfo

Bruce covered the song 5 times: soundcheck included
 
 

1995-09-02 Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, OH
During The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inauguration concert, performed together with Chuck Berry, Melissa Etheridge, Nils Lofgren, and Booker T. & The M.G.'s.
 
1988-05-06 Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
During the " tunnel of love tour" . The soundcheck includes Slim Harpo's "Rainin' In My Heart" (not the Buddy Holly song with the same title), "Big Boss Man", "Let It Be Me", "Cathy's Clown" and "Crying In The Rain" (both also The Everly Brothers) and both "Rock And Roll Music" and "Sweet Little Sixteen" by Chuck Berry. The second song of the soundcheck has historically been titled "The Way You Walk", however a little investigation has revealed it to be John Lee Hooker's "Dimples". Perhaps Bruce had considered including the song in the Express Tour set, but instead settled on "Boom Boom" which will be premiered four days after this show in Bloomington, MN.
 
 
 
 
All Star Benefit for the Homeless Children. The Chuck Berry ‘s Rock and roll music features all of the evening's performers, with Bruce, Billy Joel, James Taylor, and Paul Simon taking verses.
 
 

1979-01-11 Lock Stock And Barrel, Fair Haven, NJ
A private 37th birthday party for Clarence Clemons, with Springsteen and the entire E Street Band (except for Steven Van Zandt) attending and performing a rollicking set of classics for the invitation-only gathering of close friends and family. Clarence’s pre-E Street band compatriot, Norman Seldin, was playing an extended residency at the club at the time and both Clarence and Garry Tallent had made guest appearances with Seldin at the club the previous week. The above-mentioned setlist is incomplete and not necessarily in the correct performing sequence – there were many other songs performed, although no Springsteen compositions. Apparently Bruce took the lead or co-lead vocal on the under- mentioned titles.
 
 

1973-04-28 Cole Field House, College Park, MD
 One show, triple bill, with Chuck Berry headlining, Jerry Lee Lewis second billed and Bruce and the band opening. A show now steeped in legend. Berry's contract stipulated that it was the promoter's responsibility to supply him with a backing band for this concert. Apparently Bruce learned about a week before the show that the promoter was seeking a group to support Berry and immediately volunteered his band's services for free, which the promoter gladly accepted. There was no rehearsal or soundcheck with Berry, so Bruce and the boys improvised as best they could. Sadly there is no known audio of this show.

Songinfo

"Rock and Roll Music" is a 1957 hit single written and recorded by Chuck Berry. 
 
 
 

Bruce on the artist

When Chuck Berry died Bruce tweeted :

"Chuck Berry was rock's greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock 'n' roll writer who ever lived. This is a tremendous loss of a giant for the ages."

Springsteen and Berry played together on at least two occasions. As back up at the University of Maryland in 1973. Springsteen asked what songs they were going to do. Berry said : " we're going to do some Chuck Berry songs." More than 20 years later, Springsteen again played backup for Berry, at a concert at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, celebrating the opening of the Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame.
 
Bruce had 3 performances together with Chuck Berry:

1995-09-02 Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, OH
The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inauguration concert
 
 
 
1987-01-21 Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, NY
The second annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony. 

1973-04-28 Cole Field House, University Of Maryland, College Park, MD
One show, triple bill, with Chuck Berry headlining, [Lee Lewis]] second billed and Bruce and the boys opening. A show now steeped in legend. Berry's contract stipulated that it was the promoter's responsibility to supply him with a backing band for this concert. Apparently Bruce learned about a week before the show that the promoter was seeking a group to support Berry and immediately volunteered his band's services for free, which the promoter gladly accepted. There was no rehearsal or soundcheck with Berry, so Bruce and the boys improvised as best they could. The show was Bruce's first known appearance in Maryland. Bruce and the boys opened their part of the show with a 50-minute set, followed by a 60-minute set by Jerry Lee Lewis and his band. Chuck Berry (with Springsteen's entire band backing him, including Bruce and Southside Johnny) closed the evening's festivities with a 70-minute performance. Springsteen recounts some hilarious details in the 1987 Chuck Berry documentary Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll, but does not mention Southside Johnny’s appearance. Fearing that Berry might not want a harp player Bruce positioned Southside in the shadows at the extreme end of the stage. However Berry enjoyed the harp playing and near the end of the show he actually acknowledged Southside to the crowd saying "that white boy can blow, can’t he!" This almost sold out gig in the 15,000 seat Cole Field House was not without some controversy. Such was the demand to see the show that the school newspaper reported that twenty people were arrested when police spotted individuals sneaking into the concert via an open female lavatory window at the back of the building. Apparently 200-300 people made it in before the police caught wind of what was going on. 
 
Watch Bruce tells the story here  
 
List of songs co-credited to Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Berry:
 
   

Lyrics

Just let me hear some of that rock and roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a backbeat, you can't lose it
Any old time you use it
It's gotta be rock and roll music
If you wanna dance with me
If you wanna dance with me

I have no kick against modern jazz
Unless they try to play it too darn fast
And change the beauty of the melody
Until they sound just like a symphony

That's why I go for that rock and roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a backbeat, you can't lose it
Any old time you use it
It's gotta be rock and roll music
If you want to dance with me
If you want to dance with me

I took my loved one over cross the tracks
So she can hear my man a-wail a sax
I must admit they have a rockin' band
Man, they were blowin' like a hurricane

That's why I go for that rock and roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a backbeat, you can't lose it
Any old time you use it
It's gotta be rock and roll music
If you wanna dance with me
If you wanna dance with me

Way down South they gave a jubilee
The jokey folks, they had a jamboree
They're drinkin' homebrew from a wooden cup
The folks dancin' got all shook up

And started playin' that rock and roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a backbeat, you can't lose it
Any old time you use it
It's gotta be rock and roll music
If you wanna dance with me
If you wanna dance with me

Don't care to hear 'em play a tango
I'm in the mood to dig a mambo
It's way too early for a congo
So keep a-rockin' that piano

So I can hear some of that rock and roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a backbeat, you can't lose it
Any old time you use it
It's gotta be rock and roll music
If you wanna dance with me
If you wanna dance with me