Johnny B. Goode Lyrics Meaning

Succinctly put, the song “Johnny B. Goode” is about a boy from a humble background who is obsessed with playing the guitar and apparently aspires to one day be a famous musician. Or at least his mother ultimately acknowledges that such a grand fate awaits him.

Being that Chuck Berry, who wrote and performed this song, was one of America’s first guitar heroes, it is logical for people to have concluded that this track is autobiographical in nature. And such is partially true. For instance, Chuck was born and raised on Goode Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. But for the most part, this is the tale of a character other than himself. For example, initial inspiration behind that track was a band mate of Berry’s named Johnnie Johnson. Also, the listeners are made privy to certain aspects of Johnny B. Goode’s background which differ from Chuck’s personal history, such as the titular character being from Louisiana instead of Missouri and also being illiterate, whereas Berry was renowned for his scholastic abilities.

Conclusively, even though the lyrics never state forthrightly that Johnny’s goal is to become a superstar (he’s basically presented as a boy who is talented with the guitar and loves playing the hell out of it), analysts have interpreted this track as “probably the first song ever written about how much money a musician could make by playing the guitar” and “the first rock & roll hit about rock & roll stardom”.  In other words, the “sly moral of the song” inspired subsequent rock legends like Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards and Bruce Springsteen to also believe that they can make it in the game.

Facts about “Johnny B. Goode”

• Chess Records released Chuck Berry’s version of “Johnny B. Goode” on 31 March 1958. This was the original version of the song as well as the first of all the versions to be released.
• Chuck Berry (1926-2017) performed this song (with support from Bruce Springsteen) when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 23 January 1986.
• The final line of the second verse, which reads “that little country boy could play”, was originally penned “that little colored boy can play”. However, in the name of racial sensitivity (as in giving the song a more-mass appeal) Chuck reworded it.
• The opening riff to “Johnny B. Goode”, which has been called “perhaps the greatest intro in rock-and-roll history”, was actually lifted from a 1946 track entitled “Ain’t That Just Like a Woman” by Louis Jordan. Chuck Berry himself used a Gibson ES-350T to play this part of the song.
• Chuck Berry also dropped a sequel to “Johnny B. Goode”, entitled “Bye Bye Johnny” (1960), which is based on a grown-up Johnny finally making it big (with his mother’s support).
• NASA actually included copies of “Johnny B. Goode” as part of golden records on its Voyager space probes as a representation of human culture, just in case aliens may stumble upon them.
• A number of prominent American politicians such as John Kerry and John McCain used this track as part of their political campaigns. John Kerry used this during his presidential campaign in 2004, whereas McCain used it in his 2008 presidential campaign.
• “Johnny B. Goode” has been featured in a number of movies. Some of the notable films this song has appeared in include 1973’s American Graffiti and 1985’s Back to the Future.

Achievements/Accolades of “Johnny B. Goode”

• “Johnny B. Goode” is featured on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll”.
• Even more impressively this song made the top 10, placing at number 7, on Rolling Stone’s list of “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.
• Moreover this track also made the Grammy Hall of Fame, which it was inducted into in 1999. During that same year it peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Who wrote “Johnny B. Goode”?

The titular character’s first name was derived from a piano player named Johnnie Johnson who was a co-worker of Chuck Berry’s. In fact he actually sued Berry in 2002 for songwriting credits, which included “Johnny B. Goode”. However, the court ruled that too much time had elapsed since these tracks were written and dismissed the case. 

 As such, Chuck Berry is the sole songwriter credited for this song, which he penned while touring New Orleans (a location mentioned in the first verse) during 1958.

Interestingly enough, Johnnie himself released a solo album in 1991 entitled “Johnnie B. Bad”.

Cover Versions of “Johnny B. Goode”

Over the decades, a slew of prominent artists have covered this song. Some notable mentions are the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Tosh, John Denver, the Grateful Dead, the Beach Boys, Elton John and Elvis Presley.

Of all the above mentioned versions, the late Peter Tosh’s 1983 version is arguably the most famous.

Peter’s version of this song entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (where it reached number 84). It also peaked at number 64 in the United Kingdom. All this happened in 1983.