Roller (April Wine song)
"Roller" is a hard rock song written by Myles Goodwyn and recorded by Canadian rock band April Wine for their 1978 studio album First Glance. The song peaked at number 24 on the RPM 100 Singles chart in Canada and number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, becoming their first American hit since 1972.[1][2]
| "Roller" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by April Wine | ||||
| from the album First Glance | ||||
| B-side | "Right Down to It" | |||
| Released | May 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Studio | Le Manoir, Oxfordshire, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:19 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Myles Goodwyn | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| April Wine singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Roller" on YouTube | ||||
The song was instantly popular in North America, and helped April Wine regain international popular, as it was their first hit song outside of Canada since 1972's "You Could Have Been a Lady", after a decade of success limited to Canada. "Roller" has remained a live staple and one of the band's most popular songs, and has become a staple of classic rock radio in Canada and the United States.
Background
Myles Goodwyn, lead singer and main songwriter for April Wine, penned the song in 1976, though it wasn't recorded until 1978, and was decided to be released as a single from the album, becoming the album's biggest hit.
Content
The term "roller" in the song is referring to a "high-roller" woman, an upper class traveler who is wealthy, and the narrator talks about leaving for Los Angeles to meet up with her.
"Roller" also talks about the narrator's unrequited love for this unnamed woman, in an upbeat, hard rock form similar to many other April Wine songs.
Charts
Weekly Charts
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 34 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 24 |
Year-End Charts
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 97 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 30 |
In popular culture
"Roller" has been featured in several films, most notably Joe Dirt (2001), Machine Gun Preacher (2011), Grown Ups 2, The Heat (both 2013), and Game Night (2018). It was used in several television shows as well, such as Freaks and Geeks season 1, episode 3, "Tricks and Treats"; the "Pilot" episode of The Americans in 2013, season 2, episode 6 "Take Me Away" of Being Erica in 2011; and the 2009 Canadian documentary The Beat Goes On: Canadian Pop in the 1970s, which also included several other April Wine songs.
References
- Canadian peaks Collections Canada
- April Wine – Chart History Billboard