"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, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

, 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 Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, "on the southside, high upon a ridge, just a half a mile from the Mississippi bridge". 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. The song was released on

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock an ...

in June 1959, Catalogue #1729. Chuck Berry later composed a sequel, "Little Marie", which appeared in 1964 as a single and on the album ''

St. Louis to Liverpool ''St. Louis to Liverpool'' is the seventh studio album by the American musician Chuck Berry. Released in 1964 by Chess Records, it peaked at number 124 on the US ''Billboard'' album chart, the first of Berry's studio albums to appear on the ch ...

''.

Personnel

– vocals, guitar, guitar overdubs, electric bass * Jasper Thomas – drums

Beatles versions

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

recorded five versions of "Memphis, Tennessee", for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

. 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 activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

and his wife

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; 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 in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

would later perform the song with Berry on an episode of ''

The Mike Douglas Show ''The Mike Douglas Show'' is an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland in 1961 before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went i ...

'', aired on February 16, 1972. This performance notably featured wailing, avant-garde vocalizations from Ono, which visibly startled Berry; eventually, technicians disconnected Ono's microphone for the remainder of the set. This infamous rendition of the song would later become the subject of a skit by Bill Burr.

Personnel

– vocals, rhythm guitar *

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

– bass guitar *

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

– lead guitar *

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

– 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 Fraternity Records singles 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 Scotti Brothers Records singles 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