4 Classic Rock Songs Directly Inspired by Chuck Berry

It doesn’t require much effort to uncover the tracks between classic rock’s biggest songs and Chuck Berry, the songwriter who pioneered the genre. However, some of music’s most iconic hits recycled major pieces of Berry’s existing titles. You can hear the signature lick from “Johnny B. Goode” in the playing styles of most guitar legends like Keith Richards, George Harrison, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, and Slash from Guns N’ Roses. And Chuck Berry’s groundbreaking music also provided the framework for the classic songs here.

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“Come Together” by The Beatles

John Lennon said he wrote “Come Together” around Chuck Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me”. Listening to Berry’s 1956 song, you’ll immediately recognize the line: “Here come old flat-top.” Moreover, Lennon borrows heavily from the rhythm of Berry’s vocal melody, though The Beatles slowed the tempo, driven mostly by Paul McCartney’s elastic groove. Morris Levy, Berry’s publisher, sued Lennon over the infringement, and the case was settled out of court.

“Surfin’ U.S.A.” by The Beach Boys

Like John Lennon, Brian Wilson composed one of his most popular songs atop a Chuck Berry tune. Wilson wrote surf lyrics to Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” melody. In 1963, when “Surfin’ U.S.A.” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, only Wilson was credited. Under pressure from Berry’s publisher, Arc Music, Wilson’s father, and The Beach Boys’ manager, Murry Wilson agreed to a publishing deal with Arc. Three years later, Berry’s name finally appeared in the credits.

“Bang A Gong (Get It On)” by T. Rex

Marc Bolan’s defining song was written in tribute to Berry. And Bolan acknowledges the inspiration as the track fades out. Producer Tony Visconti said Bolan improvised a lyric, which points to Berry’s “Little Queenie,” where Berry sings, “Meanwhile, I was thinkin’.” But the track also kick-started a new movement. Bolan’s glittery anthem launched glam rock, and did so with a guitar riff borrowed from rock and roll’s pioneer.

“Rip This Joint” by The Rolling Stones

Keith Richards and Mick Jagger had a mutual interest in Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. Richards had studied Berry’s guitar playing, and eventually, The Rolling Stones would develop their iconic sound by covering Berry in the early days of the band. “Rip This Joint” appears on Exile On Main Street (1972) and highlights the ferocious evolution of Berry’s rhythm and blues and its imprint on the Stones. But this track is equally crucial to the emergence of punk later in the decade, with its simple chord structures and Berry’s sped-up blues.

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