Electric Light Orchestra – "Roll Over Beethoven" (1973)

Roll over Beethoven

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Chuck Berry was as skeevy as they come, but he was a great songwriter.

If you ask me, the music of the fifties was horrible, generally speaking.  (Elvis?  Horrible!  Doo-wop?  Horrible!)

But Chuck Berry and a few others (e.g., Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis) were a breath of fresh air.

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Berry wrote “Roll Over, Beethoven” in 1956 in response to his sister Lucy always using the family piano to play classical music when Berry wanted to play popular music on it.  (How did that classical music thing work out for you, Lucy?  Remind me again how many top ten hit singles you had?)

Chuck Berry

A lot of bands covered the song, including the Beatles.  I once owned a four-track Beatles EP that included their very credible version of the song.

But the best “Roll Over, Beethoven” cover by far was the Electric Light Orchestra’s eight-minute-long elaboration of Berry’s record, which they released in 1973.  

ELO’s baroque, over-the-top, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink cover included excepts from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and a whole lot more.  It brings a smile to my face every time I hear it, and I’m generally a pretty grumpy old f*rt.

And that’s why I’ve chosen it for the 2 OR 3 LINES “GOLDEN DECADE” COVER RECORDS HALL OF FAME.

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Click here to listen to the original Chuck Berry recording of “Roll Over Beethoven.”

Click here to listen to the cover of that record by the Beatles.

Click here to listen to the Electric Light Orchestra cover of the song.

Click here to buy the ELO version from Amazon.