Sweet Little Sixteen
| "Sweet Little Sixteen" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Chuck Berry | ||||
| from the album One Dozen Berrys | ||||
| B-side | "Reelin' and Rockin'" | |||
| Released | January 1958 | |||
| Recorded | December 29–30, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois[1] | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Label | Chess 1683 | |||
| Writer(s) | Chuck Berry | |||
| Producer(s) | Leonard and Phil Chess | |||
| Chuck Berry singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Sweet Little Sixteen" is a rock and roll song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry, who released it as a single in January 1958. His performance of it is that year at the Newport Jazz Festival was included in the documentary film "Jazz on a Summer's Day". It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, Berry's second-highest position ever on that chart (surpassed only by his suggestive hit "My Ding-A-Ling", which reached number one in 1972). "Sweet Little Sixteen" also reached number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart.[2] Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 272 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.
Personnel
Recorded December 29–30, 1957
- Chuck Berry, vocals and guitar
- Lafayette Leake, piano
- Willie Dixon, bass
- Fred Below, drums
"Surfin' U.S.A."
The Beach Boys' 1963 song "Surfin' U.S.A." features lyrics by Brian Wilson set to the music of "Sweet Little Sixteen." Under pressure from Berry's publisher, Wilson's father and manager, Murry Wilson, gave the copyright, including Brian Wilson's lyrics, to Arc Music.[3]
The Beatles' version
| "Sweet Little Sixteen" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Beatles from the album Live at the BBC | |
| Released | 30 November 1994 |
| Recorded | 10 July 1963 |
| Length | 2:21 |
| Label | Apple |
| Writer(s) | Chuck Berry |
| Producer(s) | Terry Henebery |
The Beatles recorded the song once for the Pop Go The Beatles radio show on 10 July 1963 at the Aeolian Hall, London.[4]
Personnel
- John Lennon - vocals, rhythm guitar
- George Harrison - lead guitar
- Paul McCartney - bass
- Ringo Starr - drums[4]
References
- ↑ 20th Century Masters — The Millennium Collection: The Best of Chuck Berry (CD). Chuck Berry. MCA Records. 1999. MCAD-11944.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 55.
- ↑ Pegg, Bruce (2002). Brown Eyed Handsome Man. pp. 162–163.
- 1 2 "Sweet Little Sixteen | The Beatles Bible". www.beatlesbible.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
External links
| Preceded by "Get a Job" by The Silhouettes |
Billboard R&B Best Sellers in Stores number-one single March 10, 1958 - March 21, 1958 (three weeks) |
Succeeded by "Tequila" by The Champs |
