Six-Pack Playlist — Best Chuck Berry Covers
The sincerest form of flattery is imitation. People must have really loved Chuck Berry.
It’s been 48 hours since Chuck Berry joined heaven’s band.
At 90 years young, he lived a full life — marked by both questionable and awe-inspiring moments. Over his 60 years in the biz, he accomplished a lot. He wrote songs that felt real, and made us feel heard. He was a true performer, and put everyone who thought they had some sense of showmanship on notice. As a result, he ended up being one of the first musicians ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and nearly everyone’s first musical hero.
In celebration of him, we decided this week’s Six-Pack had to be dedicated to some of the songs that help keep Berry’s legacy alive. Here are six of our favorite Chuck Berry covers:
(You Never Can Tell) C’est La Vie
Bob Seger
This ivory-tickling, snare and sax driven cover of the Berry classic is the gold standard. There are countless covers of this particular song, but none are as effective as Seger. His husky tone is tailor-made for this up-tempo but melancholy stomper.
You Can’t Catch Me
John Lennon
This cut is a tribute to a legend with more, masterful musicianship. Lennon singing “Flyin’ on the beam, set on flight control / Radio tuned to rock ’n’ roll” over the melody for “Come Together” will literally never get old. It’s two classics forced together to create something totally new, exciting, and soulful. Lennon tested. Berry approved.
Round and Round
David Bowie
Bowie had a startling talent for making a song unabashedly his while still maintaining the integrity of the original. A heavy bass line and sock hop percussion make way for a screaming guitar solo that makes you feel like Chuck was still in the room.
Memphis
Faces
Only Chuck could make a lovelorn letter out of a phone call to information. This version, though, is something special. The pangs of yearning from Faces frontman Rod Stewart* are palpable, adding a whole new level of sadness, yearning, and heart to this song.
*Is @alexlane the only person that didn’t know Rod Stewart was the front man for Faces?
Johnny B. Goode
Jimi Hendrix
The Father of Rock n’ Roll passed on some genes to Hendrix, who takes Berry’s most famous tune, strips the paneling off, and dips the entire thing in metallic fury. It’s vintage Hendrix — melt-your-face-off guitar bending that hardly looks, or sounds, real. Berry planted the seed, Hendrix pumped it full of steroids.
Little Queenie
Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band
Springsteen has cited Chuck Berry as one of his primary influences since the beginning of his career. You can hear Berry-infused riffs, carefully crafted lyricism, and the the spirit of Chuck’s full-body rock-and-roll on almost every album from Greetings to High Hopes. Here, The Boss takes Little Queenie from a two-minute romp to a nine-minute epic, bringing listeners on an adventure into the heart and mind of one of rock and roll’s greatest contributors.
