Memphis

Chuck Berry

About Memphis

"Memphis, Tennessee", sometimes shortened to "Memphis", is a song by Chuck Berry, first released in 1959. In the UK, the song charted at #6 in 1963; at the same time Decca Records issued a cover version in the UK by Dave Berry and the Cruisers, which also became a UK Top 20 hit single. Johnny Rivers' version of the song was a number two US hit in 1964. In the song the narrator is speaking to a long-distance operator, trying to find out the number of a girl named Marie, who lives in Memphis, Tennessee, "on the southside, high upon a ridge, just a half a mile from the Mississippi bridge. " The narrator offers little information to the operator at first, only that he misses Marie and that they were separated by Marie's mother. The final verse reveals that Marie is, in fact, the narrator's six-year-old daughter; her mother, presumably the narrator's ex-wife, left their home and took Marie with her. Chuck Berry later composed a sequel, "Little Marie", which appeared in 1964 as a single and on the album St. Louis to Liverpool. 


Year:
2013
2:09

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Long distance information, give me Memphis Tennessee
Help me find the party trying to get in touch with me
She could not leave her number, but I know who placed the call
'Cause my uncle took the message and he wrote it on the wall

Help me, information, get in touch with my Marie
She's the only one who'd phone me here from Memphis Tennessee
Her home is on the south side, high up on a ridge
Just a half a mile from the Mississippi Bridge

Help me, information, more than that I cannot add
Only that I miss her and all the fun we had
But we were pulled apart because her mom did not agree
And tore apart our happy home in Memphis Tennessee

Last time I saw Marie she's waving me good-bye
With hurry home drops on her cheek that trickled from her eye
Marie is only six years old, information please
Try to put me through to her in Memphis Tennessee

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Chuck Berry

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18, 1926) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957) and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), Chuck Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive, with lyrics focusing on teen life and consumerism and utilizing guitar solos and showmanship that would be a major influence on subsequent rock music. more »

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Written by: Chuck Berry

Lyrics © ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


12 facts about this song

Song Background
"Memphis" is a hit song written by Chuck Berry in 1959.
Covers
Johnny Rivers later covered the song in 1964, and his version was a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Classic Rock-and-Roll
The song is considered as one of the greatest examples of rock-and-roll due to its infectious blues-based melody and storytelling lyrical style.
Song Theme
The lyrics are reportedly about a man who is in Memphis, Tennessee, and is attempting to get a message to his girlfriend back home.
Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry initially released the song in 1959 as part of his album called "Chuck Berry Is on Top".
Songwriting
Berry wrote the song based on traditional blues format. The song's lyric is about the singer (Berry) begging the long-distance operator to help him connect with his girlfriend in Memphis, Tennessee.
Johnny Rivers Version
When Johnny Rivers covered "Memphis," he performed it live at the Whisky a Go Go nightclub in Los Angeles in 1964.
Chart Success
Rivers’ version of the song became a major hit, quickly climbing the charts to spend two consecutive weeks at no. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
The Beatles’ Connection
The Beatles’ reportedly played Johnny Rivers' version of "Memphis" during their early live performances at Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany in 1962, a recording of this was later released in 1977.
Infused in Popular Culture
The song was also featured in films such as "American Graffiti" and the 1989 film "True Love," and the television series "Quantum Leap."
Re-recordings
Johnny Rivers had re-recorded the song several times, and these re-recorded versions have been released on several compilation albums.
Recognition
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Berry's original version of "Memphis" as no. 81 on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

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