Maybellene

Album: Rock, Rock, Rock (1955)
Charted: 5
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Songfacts®:

  • This evolved out of "Ida Red," a hillbilly song by Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys from the early '50s. Berry heard that song on the Country radio station KMOX in St. Louis, but didn't know who recorded it.

    Reworking the song into a tune he called "Ida Mae," Berry performed the song around St. Louis with his group, the Johnnie Johnson Trio.

    Berry had never recorded, but when he went to Chicago to see Muddy Waters perform, he stayed in town to pitch himself to Leonard Chess of Chess Records, who asked him to come back the next week with some original songs. Berry returned with his bandmates Johnnie Johnson (piano) and Eddie Hardy (drums), and a demo reel with four songs, including "Ida Mae." That's the one Leonard Chess liked best, but he asked Berry to change so there wouldn't be any confusion with "Ida Red" and to fend off any copyright claims. Berry changed the lyrics, turning it into a song about fast cars - one of his favorite topics. It was the first song the band recorded, and it proved a challenge: they recorded 36 takes.
  • This song tells the story of a girl who keeps cheating on her man. Various cars appear in the lyrics; Berry sings about chasing Maybellene in his V8 Ford while she drag races a man in a Cadillac with her Coupe de Ville.
  • There are a few different stories floating around about how the song got its name. Berry has said that Maybellene was the name of a cow in child's nursery rhyme, but Johnnie Johnson recalled that there was a box of Maybellene mascara in the office, which gave Leonard Chess the idea for the title.
  • Chess Records gave the disc jockey Alan Freed a cowriting credit on this song (and also some cash) in exchange for playing it on the radio. Deals like this led to the Payola scandals, which led to rules prohibiting record companies from paying DJs to play their songs. Marshall Chess, the son of Chess founder Leonard Chess, recalled to The Independent newspaper May 27, 2008: "He [Freed] played the hell out of Chuck's first record, 'Maybellene', because of that. My father says he made the deal, and by the time he got to Pittsburgh, which was half a day's drive away, my uncle back at home was screaming, 'What's happening? We're getting all these calls for thousands of records!'"

    Deals like this were perfectly legal and fairly common at the time, but when the government took action in 1959, Freed refused to admit to taking Payola, insisting he was acting as a consultant to the music industry. Holding steadfast to this position, the radio and TV stations he worked for fired him, and his career never recovered. In contrast, Dick Clark admitted to taking cash and gifts, and simply stopped doing so when it was declared illegal. He was able to grow his media empire considerably after the scandal.
  • Berry was 29 years old when he recorded this song, but he knew that his audience was teenagers, so he wrote the song to appeal to that crowd - the ones fascinated with cars and experiencing young love. Berry also took care to sing it as clearly as possible so it would have more crossover appeal with a white audience. His strategy worked: the song went to #1 on the R&B chart and also made #5 on the Pop chart.
  • Chuck Berry was a rock and roll original, but he didn't consider this a rock song. Said Berry: "'Maybellene' was very much a country song, with country lyrics. Maybe a little faster but basically it was country."
  • Soon after this was released, Elvis Presley started performing it at some of his live appearances. Many other artists also recognized its propulsive appeal and covered the song. British acts - notably The Beatles and The Rolling Stones - often recorded Berry's songs, but the UK act that grabbed this one was Gerry and the Pacemakers, who included it on their 1963 debut album How Do You Like It?

    Other artists to cover the song include George Jones, The Searchers, Jerry Lee Lewis and Foghat.
  • The B-Side of the single was a slow blues song called "Wee Wee Hours."
  • One-third of the composing credit went to Russ Fratto for the sole purpose of making sure that Berry got more royalties than Alan Freed (Fratto was a local DJ who was a close friend of Berry's). He agreed to give Berry his share. In those days, it was common to give Freed a composer credit in exchange for airplay on his show. Freed would get royalties, and the song would become a hit.
  • A version by Johnny Rivers reached #12 in the US in 1964.
  • Later in 1955, Fats Domino released his own song with a three-syllable girl in the title: "I Can't Go On (Rosalie)."
  • Berry died in 2017, the same year Fats Domino passed away. Jon Batiste and Gary Clark, Jr. paid tribute at the Grammy Awards in 2018 by performing "Maybellene" and "Ain't That A Shame."

Comments: 17

  • Chris Webb from GnangaraWhere does the John Greer song Come back Maybelline come in.(mid fifties) Was that first?. The song was basically stolen as we all know. Anyone heard this very good version.
  • Reggie Stout from Takoma Park MdExcuse Me, but the song has 2 cars in it. A Cadillac Coupe DeVille and his V8 Ford. Mabellene is in the Cadillac (coupe DeVille is a model of Cadillic). He sees her in the Caddy and the chase proceeds
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn October 28th 1955, Marty Robbins appeared at the Cotton Club in Lubbock, Texas...
    At the time his covered version of "Maybellene" was at #12 on Billboard's C&W Most Played by Jockeys chart...
    The opening act for Mr. Robbins was a duo named Buddy* and Bob...
    * Buddy was a local 19 year-old boy named Buddy Holley, and exactly three short years later on October 28th, 1958 Buddy would make his last national TV appearance when he appeared on 'American Bandstand', a little over three months later was 'The day the music died'.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn September 2nd 1955, Chuck Berry was one of the acts* appearing in the Alan Freed's Labor Day 'Big Rock and Rock Show' at the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, NY...
    At the time his "Maybellene" was at #1 on all three of Billboard's major R&B charts; Best Seller in Stores, Most Played by Jockeys, and Most Played on Jukeboxes {plus it was at #7 on the Pop Best Seller in Stores chart}...
    * Others acts appearing that day were the Moonglows, the Flamingos, Nappy Brown, the Harptones, the Cardinals, the Nutmegs, Red Prysock, and believe it or not, that real rocker, Tony Bennett.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, Ny*** Nothin' will outrun my V8 Ford ***
    On March 31st 1932, the Ford Motor Company unveiled its new V8 engine...
    And twenty-three years later on August 4th, 1955 "Maybellene" by Chuck Berry would enter Billboard's Top 25 Best Sellers in Stores chart at position #13; four weeks later on August 25th it would peak at #5 {for 1 week} and spent 11 weeks on the chart...
    And on August 11th, 1955 it reached #1 {for 11 weeks} on Billboard's R&B Records Most Played on Juke Boxes chart...
    Charles Edward Anderson Berry will celebrate his 89th birthday this coming October 18th {2015}.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn September 5th 1964, Johnny Rivers performed "Maybelline"* on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
    A little under a month earlier on August 9th, 1964 it entered Billboard’s Hot Top 100 chart at position #70; and on September 20th, 1966 it peaked at #12 {for 1 week} and spent 9 weeks on the Top 100...
    It reached #9 on the Canadian RPM 100 Singles chart...
    The day "Maybelline"* entered the Top 100 chart Johnny Rivers' preceding release, "Memphis", was at #26 and Chuck Berry was at #47 with his "You Can Never Tell"...
    Nine years earlier on August 18th, 1955 Chuck Berry's original version of "Maybellene"* was at #1 on Billboard's R&B Best Sellers and Most Played by Jockeys charts...
    * On Johnny's Imperial record label it’s spelled "Maybelline" and on Chuck's original Chess label it’s "Maybellene".
  • Vanessa from Honolulu, HiCorrection, Jon in Oregon. Not the King of Rock. That's Elvis. Chuck Berry: The INVENTOR of Rock.
  • Bianca Sanchez from Alburquerque, NmGood song. Love the beging, Doo do do do DO do do do da dum dum dum.
  • Gerry from Ottawa, CanadaI probably heard this song about 500 times before I bought the Chess Box and heard it remastered for CD. This was when I really listened to Johnny Johnson's piano for the first time. Man, Chess had some great players.
    Chuck Berry was once a hairdresser but he began to take his music career more seriously because it paid better.
  • Jon from Oakridge, OrChuck Berry: The King Of Rock. "Havanna Girl" is his best.
  • Howard from St. Louis Park, MnThis was the first song, legendary DJ Cousin Brucie played on WABC and every radio station he owned after leaving in the early 70s.
  • Eric from Teaneck, NjIn their concert in Central Park, Simon and Garfunkel segued into this song while singing Simon's "Kodachrome."
  • Jonah from Boston, MaThe song is NOT about a "girl cheating on her man." The genius of the song is that Maybellene could refer to either the car or the girl.
  • Ross from Independence, MoThis is #18 in Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest songs.
  • Jango from Chennai, Indiaoriginally called Ida May but was asked to change it by Leonard Chess
  • Brett from Edmonton, CanadaWell, Berry was planning on being a beautician..
  • Ben from London, EnglandMaybellene is the name of a cosmetics manufacturer but i doubt that it has much to do with the song.
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