One of the most iconic tracks of the 1950s was considered to be so good, that it’s quite literally out of this world.
On Mar. 31, 1958, rock and roll singer Chuck Berryreleased “Johnny B. Goode,” a song that has become a timeless anthem that defined an entire era of music. The track was a huge commercial hit upon its release, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart and No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Recently, it was voted as one of the “25 greatest rock songs of all time” by Entertainment Weekly.
The title was partly inspired by Berry’s longtime collaborator Johnnie Johnson, who worked with the star on some of his most beloved hits. Johnson would later, in 2000, go on to sue Berry over composer credits and royalties.
Semi-autobiographical, the track tells the tale of a musician’s rise to fame from humble beginnings. Originally, “Johnny B. Goode” described the song’s protagonist with the lyric “That little colored boy could play,” but Berry opted to change it to “That little country boy could play” to prevent any backlash or lack of radio airplay.
The song became such a hit that it famously became the first and only rock and roll song to voyage into space. “Johnny B. Goode” was included on the Voyager Golden Record, jetting off aboard NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2 probes in 1977.
Astronomer Carl Sagan had the final say in which audio materials would be included in the voyage. The time capsule was designed to represent the creativity and rhythm of the human race to whoever — or whatever — may find it.
In the fictional world, “Johnny B. Goode” became the signature song of the iconic 1985 movie Back to the Future. The song plays in one of the film’s most memorable scenes, when the song plays at Marty McFly’s parent’s school prom. During the scene, which is set in 1955, the song is still three years away from its release.
“This is an oldie, but uh… well, it’s an oldie where I come from,” Michael J. Foxsaid while portraying McFly.
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