1. Maybellene (2:20) - This and the next song are fast. Among the instruments are a guitar, a piano, a bass guitar, and drums, all of which are commonly heard throughout this album. The narrator, driving a V8 Ford, is chasing his untrue girlfriend, who is driving a Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
2. 30 Days (2:22) - The intro in this song is very similar to the intro in the previous song. I hear backup vocals here, but the liner notes of the CD never mention them. The narrator calls a gypsy woman to tell her that he plans to press charges of some sort against her to make sure that she is deported within the next month. One line in this song, "I can't get no satisfaction from the judge," according to Mick Jagger, was the inspiration for the Rolling Stones' hit "Satisfaction."
3. You Can't Catch Me (2:42) - The tempo is very fast. The narrator brags about his car, telling people that if they drive too close to him, he will accelerate and be far away within seconds. In one verse he personifies the car and names it Maybellene, reminding us of a song we heard earlier.
4. Too Much Monkey Business (2:53) - This song and the next 2 are fast. I like this song a lot. Among other things, the narrator has to wait an extra week to get his paycheck, a pay phone steals his dime, his teachers at school overrule his objections, and he hates his job at a gas station (filling gas tanks and checking tires). All that, he complains, is "too much monkey business for me to be involved in."
5. Brown-Eyed Handsome Man (2:15) - In the first verse, a judge's wife pressures a district attorney to free a brown-eyed defendant of unspecified charges. In the second verse, the narrator sees a woman trekking the desert to meet a brown-eyed boyfriend. In the third verse, he notes that women have always cried over brown-eyed men. Next is an instrumental lasting the equivalent of a few verses. In the fourth verse, a young woman can't decide between two suitors--one a doctor, the other a lawyer; her mother advises her to find a man who has brown eyes like the girl's father does. In the fifth verse, a woman sacrifices both arms in a wrestling match to win a brown-eyed boyfriend. The sixth and final verse is about a brown-eyed baseball player; a lyric in that verse was an inspiration for the title song of John Fogerty's album Centerfield.
6. Roll Over Beethoven (2:22) - "Roll over, Beethoven, and tell Tschaikovsky the news" about the rock 'n' roll craze that has taken over America! A more recent cover of this song appeared in the movie Beethoven, in which the title character is a dog named after the composer.
7. Havana Moon (3:05) - The tempo is moderate. Listen closely, and you'll hear Chuck's voice echo. His character in this song sits on a dock near Havana on a moonlit night, awaiting a boat. On board will be his girlfriend; once she arrives, they'll sail to New York.
8. School Day (2:40) - This moderately fast song describes the routine of a typical high school student of the late 50s--constantly being bothered by the person in the desk behind, having little time to eat lunch, and enduring a mean-looking teacher. Once school lets out at 3 PM, however, the student pursues something more meaningful--listening to the latest hits on a jukebox. Some people probably mistitle this song by the first line in the last verse--"Hail, hail, rock 'n' roll!"
9. Rock And Roll Music (2:30) - This song has a fast tempo. The narrator doesn't want the girl to play fast jazz, tango, or mambo; if she wants to dance with him, she's gotta play rock!
10. Oh Baby Doll (2:36) - This song is very fast. The narrator and his girlfriend apparently are about to graduate from high school. Anyway, once school gets out, they will sing the theme song of their old school and look back on those fond memories.
11. Reelin' And Rockin' (3:14) - This song and the next 3 are fast. The narrator has the time of his life at a dance hall, yet he looks at his watch every now and then so he can leave when it's time for him to.
12. Sweet Little 16 (3:00) - Everywhere in the USA, 16-year-old girls are anxious to get lots of autographs and go to dance halls wearing high-heeled shoes, skintight gowns, and lipstick. Then, the next morning, they switch to their alter-egos as high school students.
13. Johnny B. Goode (2:38) - This song is based loosely on Chuck's own life. The title character began his life in a humble cabin in New Orleans. He often would sit near railroad tracks and strum his guitar. In the last verse, his mother envisions him playing at nightclubs to large audiences.
14. Around And Around (2:40) - For the first half minute, the guitars are more noticeable than the drums. The narrator and the rest of the crowd at the dance hall continually dance "around and around" until the moon sets.
15. Carol (2:46) - The narrator of this moderately fast song worries that he might lose Carol to other men, so he resolves to learn to dance, even if it takes him 24 hours.
16. Beautiful Delilah (2:07) - The subject of this fast song is so attractive that she goes out with a different man every night. The narrator sees the downside of having a beautiful girlfriend.
17. Memphis, Tennessee (2:11) - The tempo is fast, but the drums are kept a bit low and Chuck sings in a melancholy tone, since his character is a divorced father whose daughter recently telephoned him without leaving her number. He calls directory assistance and pleads for them to give him the number. Later, this song would also be a hit for Johnny Rivers.
18. Sweet Little Rock And Roller (2:20) - This and the next song are both moderately fast. The subject of this song is a 9-year-old girl who is a big fan of rock music.
19. Little Queenie (2:40) - This time, we're talking about a girl who's nearly twice as old. The narrator's throat gets lumpy and his knees shake the minute he sees her; he hopes to get her to dance with him. I like the two speaking parts Chuck has here.
20. Almost Grown (2:19) - This song is slightly faster than the previous one. In this and the next song, the Moonglows sang behind Chuck. In all previous songs except "30 Days," he sang without any backing. The narrator asserts that he doesn't do anything wrong; instead, he plans to buy a car, drive his girlfriend in it, and eventually marry her. All he asks of his parents and hers is to leave them alone.
21. Back In The USA (2:25) - This song is similar to "Roll Over Beethoven" both in tempo and in melody. But it's all right, since Chuck wrote both songs; some subsequent tunes also sound similar to earlier ones. The narrator, apparently having traveled abroad, is glad to return to the States and the American lifestyles.
22. Let It Rock (1:45) - This song is moderately fast. According to the liner notes, this song contains vocal support by the Equadors, but I don't hear it. In the first verse, the narrator hopes to earn enough money to buy formal shoes so he can win a girl's heart. This verse also places "Alabama" and "hammer" at the ends of the first 2 lines, a rhyme probably not thought of every day. The third verse includes the phrase "tear the tepee down," which is easy to hear as "turn the TV down." Though this wasn't a big hit for Chuck, it would be in the 1980s for country singer Mel McDaniel.
23. Bye Bye Johnny (2:03) - In this song, slightly faster than moderate, we hear again about the character from 10 songs back. He is now a grown man, and his mother bids him farewell as he boards a Greyhound to start an independent life.
24. I'm Talking 'Bout You (1:45) - The tempo is moderately fast. When the narrator describes his feelings for the girl, he uses third person. Then he switches to second person and uses the title.
25. Come On (1:48) - In this fast song, static from the master tape is easily noticeable. Chuck's sister Martha duets with him on the chorus. Life has been wrong for the narrator since his girlfriend left him, and he begs her to love him again. In the second verse, his phone rings and he hopes it's her, but it turns out to be a wrong-number call.
26. Nadine (2:33) - This song has a moderate tempo. This song contains "unknown vocal support" according to the liner notes, but I can't hear it even when listening closely. Every time the narrator sees Nadine, she is too busy with something else to talk to him.
27. No Particular Place To Go (2:40) - This moderately fast song is my favorite Chuck Berry tune for two amusing pairs of lines. One is "Can you imagine the way I felt? / I couldn't unfasten her safety belt." The other is "All the way home I held a grudge / For the safety belt that wouldn't budge." The seat belt gets stuck after the narrator and his girlfriend, having driven in the country for a while, decide to get out and walk.
28. I Want To Be Your Driver (2:13) - All previous songs had been recorded in Chicago; this one was recorded in London. The tempo here is fast, and Chuck uses his voice more forcefully here than in any preceding song. The narrator wants to drive the girl all around the city and the country. She'll be so impressed with his driving that she won't want to criticize him.
My Ding-A-Ling (4:22) - This was Chuck's only #1 hit. This is a live recording with a tempo slightly faster than moderate. The narrator looks back on his boyhood. In the first verse, his grandma gives him a bell on a string, the "ding-a-ling." From that point on, he carries the toy with him everywhere he goes. The chorus is sung entirely by the audience; I can clearly hear their shouts of the hyphenated word. From time to time Chuck comments on the amount of audience participation.