Good Rocking Tonight

"Good Rocking Tonight" was originally a jump blues song released in 1947 by its writer, Roy Brown[1] and was covered by many recording artists (sometimes as Good Rockin' Tonight). The song includes the memorable refrain, "Well I heard the news, there's good rocking tonight!" The song anticipated elements of rock and roll music.[2] In fact, some reviewers state that Brown's version, or Harris' (depending on the source),[3] is one of the contenders for the title of "first rock'n'roll record".[4]

For the television show, see Good Rockin' Tonite.
"Good Rocking Tonight"
Single by Roy Brown
Released1947
RecordedJune 1947
GenreJump blues
LabelDe Luxe
Songwriter(s)Roy Brown

Original song

Brown had first offered his song to Wynonie Harris, who turned it down. He then approached Cecil Gant later that night, but after hearing Brown sing, Gant made a 2:30 AM phone call to Jules Braun, the president of DeLuxe Records. After Brown sang his song over the phone, Braun asked Brown to sing it a second time. He then told Gant, "Give him fifty dollars and don't let him out of your sight."[5]

Five weeks later, Brown recorded the song for DeLuxe Records. Only after Brown's record had gained traction in New Orleans did Harris decide to cover it. Harris' version was even more energetic than Brown's original version, featuring black gospel style handclapping. This may have contributed to the composition's greater success on the national R&B chart. Brown's original recording hit #13 of the Billboard R&B chart, but Harris' record became a #1 R&B hit and remained on the chart for half a year.[6] Brown's single would re-enter the chart in 1949, peaking at #11.

Harris had a reputation for carousing, and sometimes forgot lyrics. His "Good Rockin'" recording session largely followed Brown's original lyrics, but by the end, he replaced the last section with a series of raucous "hoy hoy hoy!" interjections, a commonly used expression in jump blues tunes of the time, going back to 1945's "The Honeydripper" by Joe Liggins.[7]

The song is a primer of sorts on the popular black music of the era, making lyrical reference to Sweet Lorraine, Sioux City Sue, Sweet Georgia Brown, Caldonia, Elder Brown, and Deacon Jones. All of these characters had figured prominently in previous hit songs. The song has also been credited with being the most successful record to that point to use the word "rock" not as a euphemism for sex, but as a descriptive for the musical style, a connection which would become even clearer in 1954 when a version of "Good Rockin' Tonight" became Elvis Presley's second-ever single.

While Brown missed out on the biggest hit version of his song, its success kicked off his own career, which included two #1 R&B hits. In 1949, he released "Rockin' at Midnight", a sequel to "Good Rockin' Tonight." It reached #2 on the R&B chart, where it remained for a month.[8]

Elvis Presley version
"Good Rockin' Tonight"
Single by Elvis Presley
B-side"I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine"
ReleasedSeptember 22, 1954 (1954-09-22)
RecordedSeptember 10, 1954[9]
GenreRockabilly
Length2:14
LabelSun
Songwriter(s)Roy Brown
Producer(s)Sam Phillips
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"That's All Right"
(1954)		 "Good Rockin' Tonight"
(1954)		 "Milkcow Blues Boogie"
(1954)

In 1954, "Good Rockin' Tonight" was the second Sun Records release by Elvis Presley, along with "I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine" on the flip side.[10][11] Presley and his bandmates hewed closer to the original Roy Brown version, but omitted the lyrics' by-then-dated roster of names in favor of a simpler, more energetic "We're gonna rock, rock, rock!" Both sides of this second record featuring "Elvis Presley, Scotty and Bill" "stiffed".[12]

The song was used for the biopic Elvis, which starred Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Presley; it was used for a montage sequence where he is performing at the Louisiana Hayride in 1954.

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[13] Gold 500,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Personnel
  • Elvis Presley – lead vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar
  • Scotty Moore – electric lead guitar
  • Bill Black – double bass

Other renditions

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References
  1. Tosches, Nick (1996). Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock 'n' Roll. Boston, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. p. 51. ISBN 9780786750986.
  2. "Morgan Wright's HoyHoy.com: The Dawn of Rock 'n Roll". Hoyhoy.com. May 2, 1954. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  3. |5 Candidates for the First Rock 'n' Roll Song
  4. "The first rock'n'roll record is released". The Guardian. 12 June 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2020. the first rock record. In fact, that title is hotly disputed, with contenders including Sister Rosetta Tharpe's Strange Things Happening Every Day (1944) and
  5. Lauterbach, Preston (2012). The Chitlin' Circuit and the Road to Rock N Roll. New York City: W.W. Norton. pp. 142–143. ISBN 978-0393342949.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 246.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 349.
  8. Roy Brown's "Good Rockin' Tonight" Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  9. Jorgensen, Ernst (July 1998). Elvis Presley: A Life in Music. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-18572-3. OCLC 38168234.
  10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. Dowell, Gary; Evans, Isaiah; Halperin, James L.; Jones, Kim (2006). Heritage Music and Entertainment Dallas Signature Auction Catalog #634. Dallas, Texas: Heritage Capital Corporation. p. 167. ISBN 978-1599670812.
  12. Burke, Ken; Griffin, Dan (2006). The Blue Moon Boys – The Story of Elvis Presley's Band. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. pp. 45–46. ISBN 1-55652-614-8.
  13. "American single certifications – Elvis Presley – Good Rocking Tonight". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  14. Barker, Derek (2009). Liner notes to Bruce Springsteen's Jukebox: The Songs that Inspired the Man [CD]. Chrome Dreams.
  15. Jerry Lee Lewis, The 20 Most Requested Retrieved July 1, 2012.
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