HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Memphis, Tennessee", sometimes shortened to "Memphis", is a song by
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
, first released in 1959. In the UK, the song charted at number 6 in 1963; at the same time Decca Records issued a cover version in the UK by Dave Berry and the Cruisers, which also became a UK Top 20 hit single. Johnny Rivers's version of the song was a number two US hit in 1964.


Background

In the song the narrator is speaking to a long-distance operator, trying to find out the number of a girl named Marie, who lives in
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...
, "on the southside, high upon a ridge, just a half a mile from the
Mississippi bridge Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mi ...
." The narrator offers little information to the operator at first, only that he misses Marie and that they were separated by Marie's mother. The final verse reveals that Marie is, in fact, the narrator's six-year-old daughter; her mother, presumably the narrator's ex-wife, "tore apart our happy home" because she "did not agree", as it turned out, with their marriage, not his relationship with Marie, as the listener was misdirected to assume. This song was recorded in St. Louis at Chuck Berry's home, in July 1958. *
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
– vocals, guitar, guitar overdubs, electric bass * Jasper Thomas – drums The song was released as Chess single 1729. Chuck Berry later composed a sequel, "Little Marie", which appeared in 1964 as a single and on the album '' St. Louis to Liverpool''.


Beatles versions

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
recorded five versions of "Memphis, Tennessee", for BBC Radio. One version that was recorded on July 30, 1963, for the '' Pop Go The Beatles'' radio show was included on '' Live at the BBC'' in 1994. Another version that was recorded a few months later on October 5, 1963, for the ''Saturday Club'' radio show was included on '' On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2'' in 2013. The group first performed it for their failed Decca audition on January 1, 1962, with Pete Best on drums.
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and his wife
Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...
would later perform the song with Berry on an episode of ''
The Mike Douglas Show ''The Mike Douglas Show'' was an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went into natio ...
'', aired on February 16, 1972. This rendition has become infamous due to Ono's wailing vocalizations during the song which visibly irritated Berry; as a result, Ono's microphone was turned off by the sound crew for the remainder of the performance.


Personnel

*
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
– vocals, rhythm guitar *
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
– bass guitar *
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
– lead guitar *
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
– drums


Other popular versions

In 1963, guitarist Lonnie Mack recorded a fast-paced instrumental version, which he called "Memphis". It went to number 5 on ''Billboard'' Pop chart and number 4 on ''Billboard'' R&B chart. In 1964 singer Johnny Rivers recorded another version of the tune (which he, following Mack, called "Memphis"), copying Mack's pacing and some of his instrumental improvisations, and reinstating the vocal line from Berry's original. This version hit number 2 on ''Billboard'' Pop chart. In 1981, country singer-songwriter Fred Knoblock recorded his rendition of "Memphis". It went to number 10 on ''Billboard'' Country chart and number 28 on ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart.


Chart history


Weekly charts

;Chuck Berry ;Dave Berry & the Cruisers ;Lonnie Mack ;Johnny Rivers ;Fred Knoblock


Year-end charts


Notable covers

The song has been covered over 200 times by musical artists. The most notable examples include Bernd Spier who hit number 1 in 1964 in Germany.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Memphis, Tennessee (Song) Chuck Berry songs 1959 singles The Beatles songs Jan and Dean songs 1963 singles 1964 singles American songs Chess Records singles Elvis Presley songs Imperial Records singles Johnny Rivers songs Gene Summers songs The Animals songs Paul Anka songs Conway Twitty songs The Dave Clark Five songs Dave Berry (musician) songs Bo Diddley songs Tom Jones (singer) songs Jerry Lee Lewis songs Roy Orbison songs The Rolling Stones songs Fred Knoblock songs Number-one singles in Germany Songs about Memphis, Tennessee Songs about telephone calls Songs written by Chuck Berry Song recordings produced by George Martin RPM Top Singles number-one singles 1959 songs