My Music
My Daddy is the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll
(2017)

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This song was inspired by something I saw on a documentary about music in the 1950s. Charlie Berry (Chuck Berry’s son) related a story from his schooldays in which his friends were discussing what their fathers did for a living. After trying to out-do each other with the importance of their father’s jobs they turned to Charlie, who proudly announced: ‘My Daddy is the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.’

It was such a great story that I felt inspired to turn it into a song with that punchline as the hook. I knew that a tribute such as this should in the style of the great lyricist himself, which means that every syllable of every word would need to correspond to the beats in the rhythm. It was a lot of fun to write. I hope you enjoy my tribute to the great poet of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Here are the lyrics:

I remember after school when I was hanging with my crew,
We were talking ‘bout our Daddies and the jobs our Daddies do.
Pauly said his Papa crunches numbers in the city,
Tommy’s Daddy oversees a government committee.
‘What about your Dad?’ they said, ‘I bet he’s on the dole’
I said: ‘My Daddy, he’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.’

Little Queenie, Maybelline, Nadine and Johnny B. Goode,
He told the kind of stories that the kids all understood,
Covered in the early days by Beach Boys and the Stones, 
Even John, Paul, George and Ringo were Chuck Berry clones.
Now all the guitar pickers play the lick that they stole
From my Daddy, he’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Reelin’ and a Rockin’ - going Round and Round,
Everybody jumping to his boogie-woogie sound.
From the Budokan in Nippon, to the Hollywood Bowl
My Daddy, he’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

It’s been a long road from St Louis, back in Nineteen Fifty Four,
Along the way it’s fair to say he had some run-ins with the law.
When you’re paid in cash the tax you owe is easy to forget,
Like the Little Miss - demeanours, but he always paid his debt.
He was in and out of prison like a rabbit in a hole
That’s my Daddy, he’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. 

Reelin’ and a Rockin’ - everybody jumping.
Hoppin’ and a Boppin’ - got no time for stopping.
From the Budokan in Nippon to the Hollywood Bowl,
He played his cherry Gibson with his heart and his soul,
That’s my Daddy, he’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

© Copyright Jez Alborough 2017.

Recorded in Richmond, Surrey by Jez Alborough and Big Wav Productions. With thanks to Major Baldini

 

 

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