Little Queenie

Summary

"Little Queenie" is a song written and recorded by Chuck Berry. Released in March 1959 as a double A-side single with "Almost Grown", it was included on Chuck Berry Is on Top (1959), Berry's first compilation album. He performed the song in the movies Go, Johnny Go! (1959) and Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll (1987). One year earlier, Berry had released "Run Rudolph Run", a Christmas song with the same melody.

"Little Queenie"
Single by Chuck Berry
from the album Go, Johnny, Go!
A-side"Almost Grown" (double A-side)
ReleasedMarch 1959 (March 1959)
Recorded19 November 1958
StudioChess (Chicago)[1]
GenreRock and roll
Length2:36
LabelChess
Songwriter(s)Chuck Berry
Producer(s)Leonard Chess, Phil Chess
Chuck Berry singles chronology
"Anthony Boy"
(1959)
"Little Queenie" / "Almost Grown"
(1959)
"Back in the U.S.A."
(1959)

Background edit

The song was recorded on November 19, 1958, in Chicago, Illinois. Backing Berry on vocals and guitar were either Johnnie Johnson or Lafayette Leake on piano, Willie Dixon on bass, and Fred Below on drums. In a song review for AllMusic, Matthew Greenwald calls it an "incredible rock & roll anthem" and "one of the greatest dance/sex ritualistic classics."[2] It is included several of Berry's compilation albums, including The Great Twenty-Eight and Chuck Berry's Golden Decade.

Chart performance edit

The song peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[3]

Other versions edit

It has been covered by many artists, including:

Song influence edit

  • English glam-rock band T-Rex's Marc Bolan, discussing their hit "Bang a Gong (Get It On)", "claimed to have written the song out of his desire to record Chuck Berry's "Little Queenie", and said that the riff is taken from the Berry tune. In fact, a slightly edited line ("And meanwhile, I'm still thinking") from "Little Queenie" is said at the fade of "Get It On".
  • The first line of the chorus can be heard at the beginning of the fade out to the 1974 Queen hit "Now I'm Here".

References edit

  1. ^ "The Chuck Berry Database: Details For Recording Session: 19. 11. 1958". A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry. Dietmar Rudolph. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Chuck Berry: Little Queenie – Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 77.
  4. ^ Lewisohn, Mark (1992). The Complete Beatles Chronicle. New York: Harmony Books. p. 363. ISBN 978-0-517-58100-1.
  5. ^ Sulpy, Doug & Schweighhardt, Ray, Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image: The Complete, Unauthorized Story of the Beatles Get Back Sessions (The 910 Publishing, 2007) sec. 22.26 ISBN 978-0-9643869-8-3
  6. ^ "Little Queenie – Also Performed By". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  7. ^ Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. p. 313. ISBN 919727125X.
  8. ^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 4, 2022.