2017-10-15 19:30:30流浪阿狗
老歌亂談(761)Sweet Little Rock And Roller
美國黑人歌手Chuck Berry可稱得上是搖滾音樂的教父，早期為了拓展市場，將屬於黑人的節奏藍調融合了白人喜歡的鄉村音樂，成為了他獨樹一格的搖滾樂。他1955的成名曲《Maybellene》，即是參照傳統西部民謠《Ida Red》轉寫而來。
1956─1959，應該是Chuck Berry相當風光的幾年，從《Roll Over Beethoven》、《School Days》、《Rock and Roll Music》、《Sweet Little Sixteen》( 註 ) 到《Johnny B Goode》，真可說是好歌連連。至於此首《Sweet Little Rock And Roller》，相關資料不多，只知Berry於1959發行了一張以此曲作為名稱的EP ( extended play的縮寫，歌曲數目介於單曲和專輯之間，為香港人俗稱的「細碟」。)，或因未另發行單曲，致此曲的翻唱者並不多，其中較知名的有當時尚在Faces樂團的Rod Stewart。
Chuck Berry年少時曾因持槍搶劫，被判三年感化教育，在21歲生日當天被釋放。1959年底，又因偷渡了一位14歲的阿帕契少女至他的俱樂部擔任衣帽間小姐，違返了「曼恩法案 ( Mann Act )」遭到逮捕，被判刑三年，結果又蹲了一年多的苦窯 ( 1962/02─1963/10 )。
不知此曲是否要以一個九歲的小女孩對搖滾樂的狂熱，來突顯出搖滾樂的魔力？感覺是稍誇張了一些。
註：此曲於1963被美國知名樂團The Beach Boys使用原旋律另填歌詞，改歌名為《Surfin' USA》，在排行榜得到第2名。不過，有支付原曲相關的版權費。
吉他手的表現頗為出色
影音中穿黃外套首先開唱者為T. Rex樂團的主唱Marc Bolan ( 因女友Gloria Jones ←「亦在影音中右後方出現之黑人女歌手」開車失控自撞樹而意外身亡，享年29歲。)，在Bolan右方首彈吉他者為英國歌手Dave Edmunds ( 亂談729曾介紹過他的《I Hear You Knocking》)。
She'd 9 years old and sweet as she can be
All dressed up like a downtown Christmas tree
Dancin' and hummin' a rock-roll melody
She's the daughter of a well respected man
Who taught her how to judge and understand
Since she became a rock-roll music fan
Sweet little rock and roller, sweet little rock and roller
Her daddy don't have to scold her, her mother can't hardly hold her
She never gets any older, sweet little rock and roller
Should've seen her eyes when the band began to play
And the famous singers sang and barred away
When the stars performed, she screamed and yelled "hooray!"
Ten thousand eyes were watching them leave the floor
Five thousand tongues were screaming "more and more!"
And about 1500 waitin' outside the door
Sweet little rock and roller
Sweet little rock and roller
Sweet little rock and roller
Sweet little rock and roller
Sweet little rock and roller
Sweet little rock and roller
Sweet little rock and roller