This David Essex Hit Became a No. 1 Chart-Topper With Some Help From a Soap Opera Star

With its minimal instrumentation, false endings, and almost eerie silences, the song sounded unlike anything on the radio in 1973. Maybe that explains why David Essex’s “Rock On” captivated the public, hitting No. 5 on the US charts.

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The song brought the Brit Essex to the limelight, if only briefly, in the US. As for “Rock On” itself, it proved to have a lot of life left in it, eventually making the No. 1 spot thanks to an 80s cover.

The Essence of Essex

It was far more common in Great Britain for a musical artist to spend a lot of time in the acting ranks in the 60s and 70s than was the case in the US. David Essex bounced back and forth between recording and stints on stage and screen during that time period.

The timing for Essex to break through with a big hit couldn’t have been better when he recorded “Rock On” in 1973. A starring role in the musical Godspell and an acclaimed appearance in the film That’ll Be The Day had boosted his exposure to career-high levels in the UK. The US was another story, but his new single was about to change that.

Let It “Rock”

Essex wrote “Rock On” on bass guitar, which helps explain its unconventional nature. He and producer Jeff Wayne, who’d previously been known for working in the field of commercial jingles, insisted upon an approach far from the usual chord-based attack of most rock songs

Instead, the dominant sound on the record was the double-tracked bass of session player Herbie Flowers. Beyond that, some hand percussion, sneaky strings, and brief brass enter the picture. But mostly, “Rock On” offers a lot of breathing space, which just intensifies the focus on every word Essex sings.

The song shot to the upper reaches of the pop charts in America while also making it to No. 3 in the UK. Although Essex would never again make that kind of dent in the US, he’d do much better in his native country, scoring a pair of chart-toppers in the 70s after “Rock On”.

Behind the Lyrics of “Rock On”

Essex refers to several golden age rock and roll classics in the lyrics to “Rock On”. Little Richard’s “Ooh My Soul”, Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues”, and Elvis Presley’s “Blue Suede Shoes” all make the cut. It seems as if he’s throwing down the gauntlet to the younger generations with these totems: “Hey did you rock and roll?”

He also wonders if the new scene can possibly match the old. “And where do we go from here?” he asks. “Which is a way that’s clear.” With his “blue jean baby queen” proving ever elusive, the narrator calls out to James Dean as one more nod to a gone-but-not-forgotten era.

In 1989, a cover of “Rock On” by actor Michael Damien brought the song back to the zeitgeist. This time around, it went all the way to No. 1. Even in the decade of maximalist pop, the open spaces that made this song unique still found a way to captivate audiences.

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