Ramones – Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
As Berry observed in Jet Lag magazine in 1980: “These guys remind me of myself when I first started. I only knew three chords, too.” Lots of punk was Chuck Berry, beefed up to the point of absurdity.
The Beach Boys – Surfin’ USA
The first great, defining Brian Wilson song was initially credited to him alone. From 1966 on, it was admitted Surfin’ USA was just Sweet Little Sixteen with different words, and the credit ran: Wilson/Berry.
The Beatles – Come Together
John Lennon settled out of court when sued over the lyrical resemblance between this and Berry’s You Can’t Catch Me. The Beatles’ debt to Berry was explicit.
The Rolling Stones – Little Queenie
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards bonded over Chuck Berry, and his songs featured in their live shows for decades.
T Rex – Jeepster
Glam rock owed a huge debt to Berry, and Marc Bolan owed a greater debt than most. Jeepster is a distinctly Berryish shuffle and boogie.
Dr Feelgood – All Through the City
Wilko Johnson’s hero was Mick Green, but the riff to this early standout from their career was pure Berry. And since Dr Feelgood inspired Gang of Four, there’s a direct link to post-punk.
MC5 – The American Ruse
The proto-punk godfathers covered Berry on their second album – and harnessed his guitar style to revolutionary sloganeering on The American Ruse.
Motörhead – (I Won’t) Pay Your Price
Lemmy loved 50s rock’n’roll above all else, and this track from their second album is structured exactly like a Berry song, with the same bounce on the beat.
Fleetwood Mac – Albatross
Peter Green’s slow blues might not be an obvious choice – but listen to it next to Berry’s Deep Feeling and you’ll see the link.
Faces – You’re So Rude
Berry’s brilliance as a lyricist is overlooked. In this classic, Ronnie Lane channelled his bawdiness in a very English way in his own writing, which is Berryish musically, too.
