"Good Golly, Miss Molly" is a hit

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

song first recorded in 1956 by the American musician Little Richard and released in January 1958 as Specialty single 624 and next in July 1958 on '' Little Richard''. The song, a jump blues, was written by John Marascalco and producer

Robert "Bumps" Blackwell Robert Alexander "Bumps" Blackwell (May 23, 1918 – March 9, 1985) was an American bandleader, songwriter, arranger, and record producer, best known for his work overseeing the early hits of Little Richard, as well as grooming Ray Charles ...

. Although it was first recorded by Little Richard, Blackwell produced another version by the Valiants, who imitated the fast first version recorded by Little Richard, not released at that time. Although the Valiants' version was released first (in 1957), Little Richard had the hit, reaching No. 4. Like all his early hits, it quickly became a rock 'n' roll standard and has subsequently been recorded by hundreds of artists. The song is ranked No. 94 on the ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine's list of

the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

Song origin

Little Richard first heard the phrase "Good golly, Miss Molly" from a Southern DJ named Jimmy Pennick. He modified the lyrics into the more suggestive "Good golly, Miss Molly/You sure like to ball." Little Richard himself later claimed that he took

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

intro from his influential 1951

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

song "

Rocket 88 "Rocket 88" (originally stylized as Rocket "88") is a song that was first recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, in March 1951. The recording was credited to " Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats", who were actually Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm. T ...

," and used it for "Good Golly, Miss Molly." "I always liked that record," Richard recalled, "and I used to use the

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...

in my act, so when we were looking for a lead-in to 'Good Golly, Miss Molly', I did that and it fit."

Little Richard Specialty recording sessions

July 30, 1956: J&M Studio, New Orleans

Supervised by

Bumps Blackwell A bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each crew attempting to catch and ‘bump’ the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind. The form is mainly used in intercollegia ...

. Personnel: * Little Richard - vocal, piano with: * Lee Allen - tenor saxophone *

Alvin "Red" Tyler Alvin Owen "Red" Tyler (December 5, 1925 – April 3, 1998) was an American R&B and neo-bop jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger, regarded as "one of the most important figures in New Orleans R&B". Biography Born and raised in New Orleans, Ty ...

- baritone saxophone * Roy Eustis Montrell - guitar * Frank Fields - leader, bass *

Earl Palmer Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of a ...

- drums One take and one false start from this session were released in 1989 on ''Little Richard Specialty Sessions'' (Ace Records sets) as fast versions.

October 15, 1956: J&M Studio, New Orleans

Supervised by Art Rupe. Personnel: * Little Richard - vocal, piano with: * Lee Allen - tenor saxophone * Alvin Tyler - baritone saxophone * Roy Eustis Montrell - guitar * Frank Fields - bass *

- leader, drums At least ten takes were recorded. Take 9 was selected as master for single and album of 1958. Three other takes were released in 1989 on ''Little Richard Specialty Sessions'' (Ace Records sets).

Little Richard later studio recording sessions

After leaving

Specialty Records Specialty Records was an American record label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by Art Rupe. It was known for rhythm and blues, gospel, and early rock and roll, and recorded artists such as Little Richard, Guitar Slim, Percy Mayfield, and Lloyd Pr ...

Little Richard returned to "Good Golly, Miss Molly" many times. In particular, he recorded this song: * Circa December 1964 for

Vee-Jay Records Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...

, released on '' Little Richard's Greatest Hits'' * In December 1965 for Modern Records, released on '' The Wild and Frantic Little Richard'' * On January 25, 1967 for Okeh Records, released on '' Little Richard's Greatest Hits: Recorded Live!'' * In May 1970, private recording made at the Boston Tea Party, was officially released by Shout! Records, in the 2000s. * Circa late 1972 for the film '' Let the Good Times Roll'', released by Bell Records circa May 1973 as single Bell-1780 without flip and on double LP ''Let the Good Times Roll (Original Soundtrack)'' * In August 1976 for K-tel International, released on '' Little Richard Live'' These are studio recordings.

Other versions

In November 1962

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

released the single "Good Golly Miss Molly" (

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

382), reissued on compilation album ''Breathless'' (1967) and on ''Rockin' Rhythm & Blues'' (1969). In 1964

The Swinging Blue Jeans The Swinging Blue Jeans are a four-piece 1960s British Merseybeat band, best known for their hit singles with the HMV label: " Hippy Hippy Shake", " Good Golly Miss Molly", and " You're No Good", issued in 1964. Subsequent singles released tha ...

covered the song. It was a hit as part of the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on ...

and one of the band's best known songs. It reached No. 11 in the UK, No. 6 in the Netherlands, and No. 43 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100. A cover of the song appeared as the closing track of the Sonics' 1965 debut album '' Here Are the Sonics''. In 1966, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels incorporated "Good Golly Miss Molly" into their version of " Devil with a Blue Dress On". Their version scored a major hit, not only in Ryder's native Detroit, but nationwide, placing at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 100. Creedence Clearwater Revival recorded the song in 1969 on their '' Bayou Country'' album with slightly changed lyrics. In Spanish there are many versions of this song one of them called "La Plaga" performed by Los Teen Tops in 1959. Mexican rock singer

Alejandra Guzmán Gabriela Alejandra Guzmán Pinal (born February 9, 1968), known professionally as Alejandra Guzmán, and nicknamed "La Reina de Corazones" (The Queen of Hearts) is a Mexican musician, singer, composer, and actress. With more than 30 million album ...

released her own version of “La Plaga” in 1988. Bruce Springsteen's version of the song was part of the ''No Nukes'' concert album in 1980, and he has performed it regularly in concert from the 1970s to the present as part of his '' Detroit Medley'' .

References

External links

500 Greatest Songs of All Time
{{DEFAULTSORT:Good Golly Miss Molly 1958 singles 1964 singles 1966 singles Songs written by John Marascalco Songs written by Robert Blackwell Little Richard songs Bruce Springsteen songs Creedence Clearwater Revival songs Jerry Lee Lewis songs Mitch Ryder songs Song recordings produced by Robert Blackwell 1956 songs Specialty Records singles Okeh Records singles