During Thursday's class, the most heated moment occurred when we were discussing Elvis Presley, the nature of his fame, and whether or not he had a right to perform songs that were originally someone else's. This got me thinking about artists who "cover" other artists' hit songs. The example that immediately popped into my mind had to do with Chuck Berry: The Beatles have covered "Roll Over Beethoven," as well as "Johnny B. Goode" and "Rock and Roll Music." (Several artists have covered Chuck Berry, ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Simon and Garfunkel, but I will focus on the Fab Four, specifically "Roll Over Beethoven".)
In the first clip below, Chuck Berry performs his song to a small audience that is very reserved during his performance. In the second clip, Beatlemania is in full swing. John Lennon says, around 1:10, "When I hear rock, good rock, like the caliber of Chuck Berry, I just fall apart and i have no other interest in life. The world could be ending if rock and roll is playing..." The Beatles then perform the song to a large arena of screaming, predominately female fans. One step ahead of Elvis, they clearly give (and continued to give throughout their career) credit to Chuck Berry for the song and for the influence his art and his sound had on their band.
It is undeniable that Chuck Berry and The Beatles are incredibly talented, but what changes? What is different between Chuck Berry performing the song and Paul, Ringo, George and John doing the exact same thing? Do four British boys make the song (or songs, if you would lik,e to listen to the other covers) more likeable, safer, than its creator? Do you think the Beatles version is different sound-wise when compared to Chuck Berry's? If so, why did they take this liberty in changing the sound that, supposedly, had such an impact on them?
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I think, as we probably mentioned in class, that the artists themselves and the way they perform affect the popularity of the song. You can take the same some and give it to two different artists and there will probably be a huge difference in which version will become popular. A big reason why this is true is due to the way they perform and the way they are marketed. I don’t really think Chuck Berry’s version of Roll Over Beethoven is much different from the Beatle’s version. And I think Chuck Berry and The Beatles were both successful at the time. But I think the difference between the two was that The Beatles were something unlike what Americans were used to. There were many black rock n’ roll singers in American at the time and for this British band to come along and imitate the Memphis rock n’ roll style was something new and enticing to American listeners.
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