"Lucille" is a 1957

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 ...

song originally recorded by American musician

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

. Released on Specialty Records in February 1957, the single reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart, 21 on the US pop chart, and number 10 on the UK chart. It was composed by Albert Collins (not to be confused with the blues guitarist of the same name) and Little Richard. First pressings of Specialty 78rpm credit Collins as the sole writer. Little Richard bought half of the song's rights while Collins was in Louisiana State Penitentiary. The song foreshadowed the rhythmic feel of 1960s

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States a ...

in several ways, including its heavy

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, or classical music for the low-pitched Part ( ...

and slower

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

, inspired by the chugging of a train the band had been riding. The scene-setting sections also feature stop-time breaks and no change in

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. Howeve ...

, and it has a darker sound because most of the instruments use a low

register Register or registration may refer to: Arts entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), th ...

Recording

Little Richard sang and played piano on his recording, backed by a band consisting of

Lee Allen Lee Allen may refer to: *Lee Allen (wrestler) (1934–2012), wrestler and coach *Lee Allen (baseball) (1915–1969), baseball historian * Lee Allen (musician) (1927–1994), saxophone player * Lee Allen (artist) (1910–2006), American artist and oc ...

(tenor saxophone), Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax),

Roy Montrell Roy Montrell (27 February 1928 – 16 May 1979) was an American rhythm & blues guitarist who performed on hundreds of records produced in New Orleans. Born Raymond Eustis Montrell, in New Orleans, Louisiana,Bob L. Eagle, Eric S. LeBlanc, ''Blues: A ...

(guitar), Frank Fields (bass), and Earl Palmer (drums).

Legacy

In 2002, "Lucille" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Music critic and writer

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of '' Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as '' Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone'', and has ...

included the song on his list of ''The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made'' at number 670.

Other recordings

Little Richard re-recorded "Lucille", like many of his other hits, multiple times throughout his career. The first substantially different version of the song was recorded in 1964 and appeared on ''

Little Richard's Greatest Hits ''Little Richard's Greatest Hits'' (with various titles and cover art) is an album of Little Richard songs re-recorded in 1964 and first released in the US by Vee-Jay Records in January 1965. It features updated versions of twelve of his best-know ...

''. His last recording appears on the 1992 album ''

Little Richard Meets Masayoshi Takanaka ''Little Richard Meets Masayoshi Takanaka'' is a rock and roll album recorded by American rock pioneer Little Richard and Japanese jazz fusion guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka. Released on the Eastworld label in 1992, it was Little Richard's final st ...

''. In 1994, Little Richard appeared on the television series ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

'' performing a rewritten version of "Lucille" entitled " Rosita", about the Muppet character of the same name.

Cover versions

*In 1960 The Everly Brothers recorded it, peaking at number 21 on the Hot 100. *The Hollies, in 1963. *On September 3, 1963,

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 "Lucille" for the BBC's ''Pop Go the Beatles #14'' (aired September 17, 1963). They recorded a second rendition on September 7, 1963, for ''Saturday Club's 5th Birthday Edition'' (aired October 5, 1963), and after their break-up,

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

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 ...

recorded it on a

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made a ...

called '' A Toot And a Snore in '74''. At the closing day on December 29, 1979 of the

Concerts for the People of Kampuchea Concerts for the People of Kampuchea was a series of concerts featuring Queen, The Clash, The Pretenders, The Who, Elvis Costello, Wings, and many more artists which took place at the Hammersmith Odeon in London during December 1979 to raise m ...

, the supergroup Rockestra, with

, performed the song. In 1987 McCartney rerecorded it for his oldies album called ''

CHOBA B CCCP ''CHOBA B CCCP'' (; also known as ''The Russian Album'') is the seventh solo studio album by Paul McCartney under his own name, originally released in October 1988 exclusively in the Soviet Union. The album consists entirely of live-in-studio reco ...

'' which was released in Russia in 1988, and in the rest of the world in 1991. *Ralph Williams/The Marauders, in 1964 on Decca Records. *

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...

frequently performed "Lucille" as an encore during the 1970s and 1980s. One performance is included as a bonus track on the 1998 reissue of their album '' Made in Japan''. In 1984, during their tour in Australia,

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 ...

joined Deep Purple on stage to perform the song. *In 1977, Queen performed it on two nights in Earl's Court. *In 1983,

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

recorded his take on "Lucille". Released as a single, it became Jennings' twelfth number 1 on the country chart. In Canada, it reached number 4.

References

{{authority control 1957 singles 1983 singles 1957 songs Little Richard songs The Beatles songs Waylon Jennings songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients RCA Records singles London Records singles Songs written by Little Richard Specialty Records singles