Rock And Roll Part 2

by

Gary Glitter

Album: Glitter      Released: 1972

US Chart: 7     UK Chart: 2

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This is better known as the "Hey" song because of the chant in the chorus... "da da da da da da da, Hey!"

Glitter had been recording since 1958, had been dropped by 3 record labels, and still did not have a hit until he came up with this. For a while, it looked like this would also flop, but it slowly caught on in Europe and gradually became very well-known.

Glitter had a role on a TV show in England called Ready, Steady, Go. This is where he met Mike Leander, a producer who worked with Glitter and helped him write this. Leander used some studio time when a singer named David Essex ("Rock On") didn't show up for a session. He had Glitter and a bunch of their friends improvise different sounds over a beat he had from a song called "Shag Rag, That's My Bag." They ended up with a 15-minute dance song, which they edited some more and called "Rock And Roll Parts 1 And 2."

There is a "Rock And Roll Part 1," with lyrics that repeat "Rock And Roll" instead of "Hey." It was on the same album and released as the flip side of the single. Glitter and Leander didn't know which one to release as a single, so they released it as a double A-side and let radio stations pick.

This was the first single he released as Gary Glitter. He previously recorded as Paul Raven. His real name is Paul Gadd.

This got a big boost when Glitter was asked to perform it on the British TV show Top Of The Pops. For the show, Glitter had to put together a band, but since the performances on the show were lip-synched, they didn't need anyone to actually play. Glitter and Leander found a bunch of people to hold instruments and pretended to play during the show. They were called The Glitter Band.

In the '80s, Glitter went through bankruptcy and was arrested for drunk driving, but his downfall came in 1997 when he took his computer in for repair and the technician found kiddie porn on the hard drive. Glitter was arrested and sent to prison, where he served 2 months starting in November, 1999. After his release, he lived in Cuba and Cambodia. He is a very controversial figure in England, and could face great harm if he ever returned.

This is commonly used as a rallying cry at sporting events, including many hockey game venues as goal songs. When Glitter was arrested on child pornography charges in 1997, many stadiums stopped playing this.

This is the only song Glitter is known for in America, but he was very popular in England, where he had a string of hits after this.

This has been used in a lot of movies, including The Full Monty, Bedazzled, Duets, and D2: The Mighty Ducks.

In 1987, Glitter released "Rock And Roll" parts 3 through 6. They were produced by Trevor Horn, who was a member of The Buggles.

This is an example of "Glam Rock." Popular in the early '70s, it was characterized by male lead singers dressed in outrageous, usually feminine clothes. Glitter was known more for his appearance than his music.

In 1988, a group called The Timelords released a song called "Doctorin' The Tardis" that sampled this. The song went to #1 in England and made Glitter a lot of money, which he needed for legal bills and an extravagant lifestyle. The Timelords later became The KLF, who had a hit with "3AM Eternal."

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Comments:

Its a pity this song is played in the USA at sports events, does it not occur to you that many kids' lives have been ruined by the sexual abuse of this animal?? They proved it in court and locked him up in Vietnam where he fled from England to continue his abuse of children...think about that the next time you sing it
- Darren, London, United Kingdom

I am a huge fan of this song, however, I would love to know who does the cover version. It seems more raw and bassy and it always gets me pumped up after every Islanders game I go to. Does anyone know who does it or where I could find it?
- Craig, Rockville Centre, NY

It's good that the NFL banned this. Now my kids can sit amongst raging drunks, watching players who we are not sure actually killed someone, after causing an accident while drunk, departing the scene of the dope deal, to relax after being with 7 hookers, and the lines that caused the shaking, to come down from a case of roid rage, in the safety of knowing they will not have to hear an instrumental (practically) from some overall crappy musician they never heard of. That might be a bad influence.
- Lou, Las Vegas, NV

The NFL has officially banned Gary Glitter's original version of this song from being played. Some teams have replaced it with cover versions of the song, while other teams have replaced it with different songs altogether. However, other sports leagues, most notably the NBA, still play Gary Glitter's original version of the song.
- Joey, Boston, MA

Gary Glitter was arrested for downloading child porn onto his computer way back when. But this song is a hit!
- Jay, Mom, CT

Although it doesn't actually sample this song, Sammy Hagar's "Más Tequila" sounds like it was influenced as much by Gary Glitter as by Jos� Cuervo.
- Joshua, Twin Cities, MN

In UK Gary Glitter music is never played after he was convicted of having illegal pictures of young children on his computer. USA doesnt seem to have bothered. You have Michael Jackson though so I guess you're used to such things.
- orangebeaker, Edinburgh, Scotland

Heyeyeyeyeyeyeyey! Great song!
- Matthew, East Brunswick, NJ

In the US there hasn't been a backlash against this song, since most people don't know who Gary Glitter is, yet alone that he was convicted of child porn possession and sent to prison. This song still gets played after every touchdown the New England Patriots score, and many other NFL and other sports teams play it to this day.
- Joey, Boston, MA

As a longtime sports fan, Rock and Roll Pt. II is played over the PA system at many sporting events I attend. I usually play the song when I'm doing the PA announcing for a youth baseball tournament and it's a staple along with the village People's YMCA. Hey!
- Howard, St. Louis Park, MN

My mom and dad were diehard Denver Broncos fans (my dad died 4 years ago) and had a party at our house for every away game (they had season tickets, of course, to Mile Hi Stadium for home games). Anyhoo, my dad had this song on an endless loop and would play it for a few minutes after every touchdown. He'd call my brothers and me into the livingroom to dance to it.
- Shannon, Palisade, CO

/ Agreed, at least with the child porn thing. Artist aside, I still dig the song.
- Sam, Boise, ID

They now have a Starbucks commercial using this song-but the only spoken word is "Hank". See it here:http://www.adjab.com/files/2005/06/starbucks-hank.mpg
- Alex, New Orleans, LA

I being a sport fan, here this song alot. Like when someone scores in hockey or lacrosse, it comes on.
- Cooper, St.Catherines, Canada

Is there some sort of law requiring all professional sports teams to play this song after a score? Or for every high school marching band to have an arrangement? I've gotten tired of this song because it's overplayed.
- Jon, Sunnyvale, CA

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