1. Settin' The Woods On Fire (2:02) - This fast song, originally a Hank Williams song, features orchestral strings, as do many other songs on this disc. The narrator and his girlfriend aren't committing arson in the forest, but rather going on a date, roaming almost all over town, and teaching everyone a new dance. The "do-do-do" scat singing by the backup singers is the highlight of this song.
2. Don't Do It (2:46) - The tempo is moderately fast. Though I never heard this song before buying the disc, I like it a lot because of the theme. The guy to whom the song is sung has a girlfriend, but he cheats on her. The narrator warns him that if his behavior continues, he'll lose her and then he'd better not turn to the narrator for sympathy. Instead, he should hug her and apologize for his mistreatment of her.
3. Dreamin' (2:55) - This fast song is one of two songs by Johnny I hear on the radio. The first 35 seconds consist of false starts and studio talk indicating that the master take was Take 7. The narrator always dreams that someday he'll find a girlfriend. His searching has proven futile, but he will continue dreaming until he finds someone.
4. Cincinnati Fireball (2:43) - This song a similar speed to "Don't Do It." The narrator is madly in love with a girl from the state that's high in the middle and round on both ends (O-hi-O; get it?). She's a heartbreaker, but that doesn't dampen the narrator's desire to embrace her and hear her sweet talk. I like it when Johnny sings, "I know-wo-wo I gotta go-wo-wo back to O-O-Ohio."
5. You're 16 (1:56) - This is Johnny's other radio classic, and it has a similar tempo to "Dreamin'." Now his dream has come true; the narrator has met his soulmate. It was love at first sight; they just couldn't stop kissing. She's 16, beautiful, and his!
6. I Beg Your Pardon (2:12) - This song is somewhat slower than moderate. The narrator sings to his ex-girlfriend, whom he deserted almost 2 years before for whatever reason. He says he's still in love with her, but I doubt she'd buy that.
7. I Love My Baby (1:38) - The tempo is fast. The narrator is very happy, as though he were in heaven. He feels "like a king who's got everything" because he has a girlfriend who gives him sweet kisses and whispers sweet words in his ear. He loves her and she loves him.
8. Little Boy Sad (2:08) - This fast song was later remade by Herman's Hermits. The narrator's name is Little Boy Blue (or Hurt, or Sad) now that his girlfriend has been untrue. He warns her that someday she'll realize that no other man can give her as sweet a love as he can.
9. (I Go) Down To The River (2:02) - At times the tempo is hard to follow, but it's slow. Since the narrator's girlfriend left him, he is lonely and dying for her embrace. He visits the river late at night to cry over her.
10. Big Big World (2:20) - The tempo is somewhat slower than moderate. The narrator apparently is in love with a girl he saw once. He searches for her so desperately that he even spends a lot of dimes at a phone booth. He remembers her last name (Jones) but not her first, so he calls every Jones in the phone book until he runs out of dimes. A big world can indeed be hard on a guy.
11. I'm Still Dreamin' (2:10) - The other sequel to "Dreamin'" has the same tempo and even a similar opening violin sequence. Again, the narrator's dream of finding a special woman has come true; now his only dreams are happy ones of her.
12. I've Got A Lot Of Things To Do (2:13) - For the first 7 seconds I hear studio talk indicating that it took 19 takes to perfect this very fast song. After his girlfriend left him, the narrator has many things to do, but not the productive kind. The things on his to-do list include crying, singing the blues, and losing his appetite and ability to sleep.
13. Girls (2:03) - The tempo is fast. Ponytails, knee-high skirts, seductive walks and voices, all leave the narrator smitten. He has crushes on so many, he wishes there were enough time to be with all of them. He even mentions many names, including "Peggy, Betty, Sally and Sue."
14. Fools Like Me ** (2:01) - The narrator of this very fast song wonders why he left his girlfriend, for now he misses her and wishes he could see her and apologize. "Please have mercy on fools like me," he prays.
15. God, Country And My Baby (2:10) - This moderately slow song has a slow 24-second intro. This is one of two war-related songs on this disc. The narrator is going to war and asks his sweetheart to write a letter to him every day. He promises, in return, to fight for God, his country and her; and to come home once the war is over.
16. Second Chance ** (1:54) - The tempo is fast. Here's another song where the narrator has treated his girlfriend badly; he regrets his behavior and begs her for another chance at romance with her.
17. Clown Shoes (2:27) - The tempo is moderate. The narrator is thrilled at first to receive a gift from his fiancee. But when he opens it, it turns out to be a pair of clown shoes. It's her way of telling him she's breaking off their engagement. Realizing he was a fool to fall in love her, he goes to his room and dons his new shoes.
18. The Fool Of The Year (1:53) - This fast song features trumpets, apt instruments for announcing an award. This song could be a sequel to the previous one; now that the girl has dumped the narrator, he believes bells should be rung, a band should play, and he should be given a blue ribbon declaring him the king of fools.
19. The Poorest Boy In Town (2:09) - This fast song features a piano. Though the narrator has a car, plenty of money, and buys records, he is still a beggar because he no longer has the girl's love. Only if he can win her back will he feel like a millionaire.
20. Damn The Defiant (2:34) - The other war song on this disc has a moderate speed. Since I hear Napoleon mentioned in this song, I believe the setting was 19th-century Europe. Apparently, the HMS Defiant was a British ship whose crew mutinied.
21. It Isn't There (2:14) - The tempo is slightly slower than moderate. Though the narrator has a new girlfriend, the thrill and sincerity are absent from his words and actions to her, for he still loves his previous girlfriend, to whom he is singing.
22. The Opposite (1:54) - The narrator of this moderate-speed song wonders what would happen if what went up never came down and the world weren't round, which of course is "the opposite" of the truth. Perhaps his girlfriend would ask him for a date, he'd be the tardy one, she'd love him and he wouldn't love her, thus knowing how he feels about her bad treatment of him. Yet he feels that all he can do is keep loving her until the world stops being round and what goes up stops coming down.
23. I Think She Knows * (2:14) - This fast song features chimes. The narrator's girlfriend probably knows that he no longer loves her, but instead he loves the girl to whom he's singing. He is tired of two-timing, so he'll have to break off the old relationship; he hopes they can still be friends.
24. It All Depends On Linda * (2:25) - The tempo is somewhat slower than moderate. Whatever Linda wants in a man, the narrator will live up to her expectations. Whether he will be a beggar or a king, a rich man or a farmer, depends on what lifestyle she wishes to live. In the middle instrumental, that's probably a harmonica playing lead.
25. Sweet Suzie (2:27) - This fast song features a tambourine, which beats mostly on every other beat. The narrator once went to Los Angeles and fell in love with an actress named Suzie. Their relationship brought him stylish clothes and an XKE, but over time it soured and he went back to his hometown.
26. Rocketing Rhythms Interview * (13:21) - The interviewer was Jack Brown. Jack and Johnny discuss songs that Johnny and his brother Dorsey wrote for various artists, including Ricky Nelson and Elvis, although the latter never had a chance to look at any of Johnny and Dorsey's songs. Other topics include how Johnny was inspired to record "Dreamin'"; the chart progress worldwide of "Little Boy Sad"; and a tour of Australia on which Johnny would embark the day after the interview.