Roll Over Beethoven: Introduction
“Roll Over Beethoven” is a cover song that The Fab Four sang on their album “With The Beatles.” Of course, in their early days, The Beatles were great fans of old rock and roll songs. So much so that they would sing them regularly on their gigging circuit. Indeed, their influence came from the likes of Chuck Berry, who wrote the song.
In Depth
- Release Date: November 22, 1963 (UK), April 10, 1964 (US)
- Recorded: July 30, 1963
- Studio: EMI Studios, London
- Genre: Rock and roll
- Track Duration: 2:48
- Record Label: Parlophone (UK), Capitol (US)
- Songwriter: Chuck Berry
- Producer: George Martin
- Engineer: Norman Smith
Performers And Instruments
- George Harrison: double-tracked vocals, lead guitar, also handclaps
- John Lennon: rhythm guitar and handclaps
- Paul McCartney: bass guitar, also handclaps
- Ringo Starr: drums, handclaps
Where To Find “Roll Over Beethoven”
Roll Over Beethoven: Background
Singer and songwriter Chuck Berry had a hit with “Roll Over Beethoven” in 1956. But The Beatles were Chuck Berry fans and began to sing the song themselves. Obviously, they covered a lot of songs by many different artists, just like all the up-and-coming bands of the day. However, The Beatles sang more Chuck Berry songs than any other artist.
John Lennon once remarked, “If they want things like [Long Tall] Sally and [Roll Over] Beethoven, we can do that standing on our ears.” Obviously, Lennon was a massive fan and would sing most of the Chuck Berry covers. Indeed, he even sang “Roll Over Beethoven” until around 1961, when George Harrison grabbed it by the throat and took over lead vocals.
“I sang Roll Over Beethoven for With The Beatles; it was a song I liked. I had the Chuck Berry record, and I used to sing it in the clubs.”
George Harrison
Anthology
Since the band would sing “Roll Over Beethoven” in the late 1950’s, their name then was The Quarrymen. In essence, this song was part of their live repertoire. Moreover, they would continue to sing this song on stage right through until the end of 1964.
Recording Studio
The Beatles began recording “Roll Over Beethoven” on July 30, 1963, in Studio Two at the EMI Studios in London during the 5.00pm–11.00pm session. On this day, there were five takes, with the last one being suitable for the rhythm track. Overdubbing began immediately; however, further editing to the end guitar riff occurred on August 21, 1963.
Such was The Beatles attraction to this song that they recorded it a further seven times for the BBC for shows such as “The Saturday Club.”
Their 2013 “On Air: Live at the BBC, Volume 2” album has the version from the BBC’s “Pop Go The Beatles” radio show from September 3, 1963.
On their 1994 “Live At The BBC” album is a version from the “From Us to You” radio show (March 30, 1964). The band recorded that version at the Playhouse Theatre in London on February 28th, 1964. Furthermore, this version is in the Superman III movie. Richard Lester was the director then, and it was he who directed A Hard Day’s Night and Help!
Finally, there is a version of The Beatles’ “Roll Over Beethoven” on their 1995 album, Anthology 1. This is a live version of this song on the unofficial “The Beatles, Pop Group from Liverpool Visiting Stockholm” show at the Karlaplansstudion.
Take A Listen
The song is here, so you can take a listen and leave your thoughts below.
