Memphis

Johnny Rivers

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:
2000
2:32
34 

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

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

Last time I saw Marie she was wavin' me goodbye
With "hurry-home" drops on her cheek that trickled from her eye
We were pulled apart because her mom did not agree
She tore apart our happy home in Memphis Tennessee

Help me, information, more than that I cannot add
Only that I miss her and all the fun we had
Marie is only six years old, information please
You got to put me through to her in Memphis Tennessee

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Johnny Rivers

Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella, November 7, 1942, New York City) is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His styles include folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material. Rivers's greatest success came in the mid- to late-1960s with a string of hit songs (including the #1 hit "Poor Side of Town", "Summer Rain", and "Secret Agent Man"), but he has continued to record and perform to the present. more »

3 fans

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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    Memphis

    9M
    61,938     0

    Top Hot 100 Songs 1964

    Billboard #2


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