Rockin' All Over the World
"Rockin' All Over the World" is a rock song written by John Fogerty, formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival. It made its debut on Fogerty's second solo album in 1975. It was also released as a single, spending six weeks in the US top 40, peaking at #27.[1]
| "Rockin' All Over the World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dutch vinyl release | ||||
| Single by John Fogerty | ||||
| from the album John Fogerty | ||||
| B-side | "The Wall" | |||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Roots rock, rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:56 | |||
| Label | Asylum, Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Fogerty | |||
| Producer(s) | John Fogerty | |||
| John Fogerty singles chronology | ||||
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Status Quo recorded their own, heavier arrangement of Fogerty's song for their 1977 album Rockin' All Over the World. In July 1985 Status Quo opened Live Aid at Wembley Stadium with "Rockin' All Over the World".[2]
Reception
Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh considered the song a good choice for the album's lead single, although he claimed that it was "little more than the formulaic CCR sound with the title repeated over and over, like a chant."[3] Billboard exclaimed "Good news for rock and roll fans. John Fogerty is back, capturing all the deceptively simple magic frantic feel that made Creedence a groundbreaking rock group in the '60s," praising the vocals, instrumentals and the title.[4]
Status Quo version
| "Rockin' All Over the World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork for the UK vinyl release, also used for some international releases and the parent album of the same name | ||||
| Single by Status Quo | ||||
| from the album Rockin' All Over the World | ||||
| B-side | Ring of a Change[5] | |||
| Released | September 1977 | |||
| Genre | Boogie rock | |||
| Length | 3:33 | |||
| Label | Vertigo | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Fogerty | |||
| Producer(s) | Pip Williams | |||
| Status Quo singles chronology | ||||
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| ||||
During the recording of Status Quo's music video to the song, bassist Alan Lancaster was living in Australia. He had refused to return to the UK for the recording, so he was replaced by a dummy with a bass guitar in the video. Quo's version was their 8th UK top ten hit, peaking at #3.
At Live Aid, Status Quo began their set (and thus the event itself, being the opening band) with "Rockin' All Over the World" which first became an unofficial anthem for the event when the BBC used it to advertise their TV coverage. Coldplay performed a portion of the song at Live 8, with lead singer Chris Martin singing the chorus during the song "In My Place", after much was made of Status Quo's absence from the concert in the British media.
Status Quo recorded another version titled "Running All Over the World" for Sport Aid 1988.
Charts
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 1 |
| Sweden | 3 |
| Switzerland | 3 |
| United Kingdom | 3 |
| Norway | 4 |
| Germany | 7 |
| Netherlands | 11 |
| Belgium | 18 |
| Australia | 22 |
| Austria | 22 |
| New Zealand | 29 |
Other versions
Other versions of this song have been recorded by The Georgia Satellites and Bon Jovi, and also by artists outside the English-speaking world such as Dutch Bertus Staigerpaip, German Wolfgang Petry and Spanish Platero y Tú (outro of "Si tú te vas" song). Carl Wilson recorded it on his 1983 album Youngblood, and The Beach Boys themselves added the song to their live act in the mid-'80s. Bruce Springsteen has performed the song a number of times during his famous live shows, and it was the final song played in his 2009 Working on a Dream Tour. During Hard Rock Calling 2012, Springsteen appeared on stage with Fogerty to perform the song with him.
The song has found a usage in the sports world as well. In 1988, to support Sport Aid, Status Quo re-recorded the song as "Running All Over the World" with slightly amended lyrics. It reached #17 in the UK Singles Chart. Another re-recorded version appeared on their album Riffs in 2003.
The song is now a Southend United anthem after they began singing "Shrimping All Over the World" after the 2004 Football League Trophy final. Supporters of the Northern Ireland national football team often sing the song, particularly on away trips, changing the lyrics to "Drinkin' All Over the World". The song is also the goal music of the German football club Bayer Leverkusen. It is also played at Leyton Orient, Millwall F.C., Blackpool FC and Bolton Wanderers after every home win; and is often played after major rugby league finals.
During an episode of the 2013 BBC2 series The Story of Music, when presenter Howard Goodall was discussing the style galant popularised by composers such as Mozart, the song was performed by a string quartet and classical singer. The performance was used to illustrate that using a restricted palette of chords was just as much a feature of late 18th-century music as it is a feature of modern-era artists such as Status Quo.
The song was reprised, in 2014, for the Status Quo's thirty-first studio album Aquostic (Stripped Bare). It was featured in the ninety-minute launch performance of the album at London's Roundhouse on 22 October, the concert being recorded and broadcast live by BBC Radio 2 as part of their In Concert series.[6][7]
References
- "Chart History: John Fogerty". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- "Aaaaaay-o! Aaaaaay-o! Why Live Aid was the greatest show of all". The Independent. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- Marsh, D. (September 18, 1975). "John Fogerty". The Morning Record. p. 36. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. August 23, 1975. p. 62. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- "Status Quo – Rockin' All Over The World". Discogs. Archived from the original on 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
- "Status Quo Concert Setlist at Roundhouse, London on October 22, 2014 - setlist.fm". setlist.fm. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- "Status Quo - Acoustic". Radio 2 In Concert. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
