CHUCK BERRY - 'Sweet Little Sixteen' - 78rpm 1958

[Vicsegers]

awesome!

[littlehelp2]

that's exactly how I remember that song the first time I've heard it as I was a teenager ! Great song !

[L8JLMnky]

CHUCK BERRY - 'Sweet Little Sixteen' - 78rpm 1958

same song, different lyrics.....

[SillverTree]

The only people that would think "Surfin' USA" is indicative of what The Beach Boys were at all, are people that don't know anything about The Beach Boys. Go listen to Pet Sounds. Go listen to SMiLE.

[ranma8888]

and btw who cares? this song is nice, and surfing u.s.a is nice to,

really people can complain..... you take it to a higher level.

[gorillazhead]

@ranma8888 Maybe people bring it up because the little asshole lied about it for 20 or so years before admitting it.

[hatmap]

For songs about sixteen-year-old girls, this is slightly better than KISS's "Christine Sixteen." Chuck Berry the true king of rock 'n' roll; KISS for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

[razor1964]

"Surfin' U.S.A." music was based on Chuck Berry's 1958 hit "Sweet Little Sixteen." The Beach Boys did it as a tribute to Berry, but didn't get his permission first - maybe because Berry was in jail for transporting a minor across state lines. When Berry threatened to sue, The Beach Boys agreed to give him most of the royalties and list him as the song's composer. The song also helped build Berry's legend while he served his time.

[paulinus43ad]

@razor1964 the man was still ,,,the man,,,,,,

[DeedeeT3000]

3 people got sued by Chuck Berry for stealing this song

[cheblaine]

hey , i dont understand the relation with this and the beach boys !!?

[09bnunez]

king berry the founder of rock &roll ...give him his dues..now !!!not when hes dead....now !!!!!!!!!!pure rock &roll

[megoshful]

"Whisper to mommy it's alright w/you" ;)

Thanks for posting :)

[sunrecords56]

Funny seeing Chuck Spinning on the Lymie Label He will always Be a Knight on CHESS

[renewd]

Why do I suddenly feel like going surfin'?

[GDOBSSOR]

Beautiful song.

[storeugle]

3 beach boys didn't like this song :)

[MrCarlosdiazdiaz]

SIT BACK¡¡¡¡????? let's ROCK BABE¡¡¡¡¡

[EllyMoody]

This is SO progressive for 1958. This guy was simply brilliant, that's so 'Aerosmith'.

Don't eat yourself over the beach boys... Chuck won a lawsuit. 

[tim60s321]

WHEN ANOTHER ARTIST RECORDS A CHUCK BERRY SONG HE DOESNT MIND AT ALL---ITS A COMPLIMENT AND HE GETS PAID ROYALTIES

[mizpoppin09]

@tim60s321 actually he was pretty pissed off and didnt kno they took the song but he only got the royalties after he sued them did you watch cadillac records?

[ckatch22]

@tim60s321 Yeah but the Bitch Boys tried to take the credit without payin! All their songs were stolen that's why their singer lost his mind they were FAKE FAKE FAKE mwa ha ha ha REDRUM REDRUM!!!

[banklikefrankwhite1]

@ckatch22 dude, that probably wasn't the beach boys, the record business was run by scumbags

this was early on, and brian wilson hadn't yet proven his ability to write a song

not in their eyes at least...that's why they though

i'm sure they were just as pissed and disappointed when THEY found out it was someone else s song

undoubtedly, their manager made them play this song

[spademan333]

@banklikefrankwhite1 Brian explains the genesis of the song: “I started humming [Chuck Berry’s] ‘Sweet Little Sixteen.’ And I got fascinated with the fact of doing it. And I thought to myself, ‘God, what about trying to put surf lyrics to the ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ melody.’ The concept was about ‘they’re doing this in this city, they’re doing that in that city,’ the Chubby Checker [Twistin’ U.S.A.] concept.

[banklikefrankwhite1]

@spademan333 thank you for dropping some knowledge, much appreciated

[banklikefrankwhite1]

@ckatch22 and not all their songs were stolen, in fact this is one of the very few, if not the only

brian wilson is one of the greatest song writers of all time, and i don't even listen to the beach boys

or his solo...but there is no doubt, he's one of the greats...but everybody is young and hungry once or twice

he more than made up for it later on, and has apologized for this to the best of my knowledge

[Mufaso1000]

How strange to hear Rock N Roll on a 78 rpm.

[jujumorrison]

sweet little sixteen rocks

surfin in USA sucks

[KofBaff]

remember in the days that the beach boy stole this it was a black vs white thing...so the beach boys easily won

[StephanoAndreas]

@KofBaff  ... two separate eras.

[storeugle]

@KofBaff actaually Chuck Berry won - a ruling in favor of the BB would have been TOO much of a miscarriage of justice. Only a deaf judge could have ruled for the BB - even in the sixties.

[swine74]

Chcuk stole licks from Louis jordan

[Rawego]

do you FEEL it mofos!!! :))

[AlembicVapor]

Just another example of how "whitey" has exploited the black man...

[Nightwing690]

@AlembicVapor shut the fuck up, who cares about whitey or blacky, just listen and enjoy

[musicluva999]

@AlembicVapor For once can something not be about race? Just sit back and enjoy the music.

[MrCarlosdiazdiaz]

@musicluva999 SIT BACK¡¡¡¡????? let's ROCK BABE¡¡¡¡¡

[musicluva999]

@MrCarlosdiazdiaz

Lets do it!!! *puts on dancing shoes and jams!*

[TonyCorner91]

This song is so good I think I might rob it and write some lyrics about surfing in the USA... just an idea.

[cjtal2005]

As a songwriter I am totally disgusted by the rip off. No excuses.

[eljavio]

chess records!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!

[Newsky49]

Помню такие пластинки и как мы лихо отплясывали рок-ролл)))))

[Rawego]

@Newsky49 кто плавал привозил с сабои, на вес золота :))

[omarskats3000]

the beach boys just cant make their OWN music? everything is a cover or something like this...

[roxwen]

TThe beach boys totally stole his music. Do you know he had to sue them for it?

[wooo55]

@roxwen I think this was all settled over 40 years ago

[ripp4311]

Hell they both did a good job singing this song.

[pet0sky]

fuck beach boys!

[wooo55]

@pet0sky such an intelligent comment

[eyehategumbo]

they sound very similar

[costadilevante]

@eyehategumbo This is not similar, it's the same ;)

[empiricalpoet]

Great recording...his very best!

[manfreadstraw]

tremendous lyrics... brilliant stuff - timeless... thanks again ! who's on the piano?

[Bgrace013]

How did the Beach Boys think this wouldn't come back to bite them in the ass?

[RastafariPoet]

@Bgrace013

Good question.. I think Chuck was in Jail at the time. So he was out of the scene, maybe. Gotta refresh my research.

[Bgrace013]

@RastafariPoet Ah, that makes a little more sense then!

[eyehategumbo]

@Bgrace013 I dont think they did it on purpose

[Bgrace013]

@eyehategumbo I think they did, it's exactly the same

[eyehategumbo]

@Bgrace013 sometimes that happens

other examples

Tom Petty - Last Dance With Mary Jane

and

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California

I think it's a subconcious thing

[Bgrace013]

@eyehategumbo Good point. I still love the Beach Boys regardless!

[Okiemom50]

@Bgrace013 They were very young and naive at the time they wrote "Surfin' USA". Carl idolized Chuck Berry and listened to his music long before they formed a group. One night Carl did a Riff that the guys loved and it just happened to sound like the same one from Chuck's song. They will still tell you to this day that Chuck had a huge influence on them. (Just as Brian will tell you The Four Freshmen influenced him) Negativity serves no purpose. Just sit back and enjoy the music videos.

[ranma8888]

@Bgrace013 They got his permission to make the song Surfin Usa

lol he even got the credits for it dont say useless things, the beach boys are good to :)

[Newsky49]

Люблю старый. добрый РОК-Н-РОЛЛ!!!

[boofer69]

52 years ago and still rocks !!!!

[Jacobrester]

Do you people understand "stealing ?......Elvis Presley NEVER stole a song...he covered some songs but he never stole.......the Beach Boys stole this song and it is obvious

[marcychaw]

this song was in the 'ice on stick' if i'm not mistaken :)

[saemikneu]

Beach Boys even lost the court case. Now it's credited to Berry.

[Emryld333]

Beach Boys should pay Chuck $4000 a day for this song

[Sundaymorning989]

fuck the beach boy

[scarface2891]

My good lord in heaven, would you people understand the Beach Boys COVERED it, they did NOT steal it.

[Kuroperrock]

@scarface2891 They STOLE IT!

[laststrain123]

@scarface2891 they didnt cover it, Chuck Berry sued for stealing the song and won, he gave no permission for them to cover the song, Beach boys are a bunch of thieving cunts

[GrrlzwillbeBoizATX]

@scarface2891 to my knowledge, the Beach Boys never "covered" "Sweet Little 16." They did however release "Surfin USA" 4 years later using virtually the same melody, instrumentation, structure and so on. Everything except lyrics. Berry did sue & to this day, "Surfin USA" is credited as a "Berry/Wilson" tune effectively splitting royalties on top of an initial 1,000,000 pay out to Chuck Berry. In short, they ripped him off and paid for it. Now they have the audacity to sue Katy Perry for 1 line.

[scarface2891]

@GrrlzwillbeBoizATX Well I've been wrong before, I'm sure I'll be wrong again.

[GrrlzwillbeBoizATX]

@scarface2891 You and me both, but hey, at least we admit it. :)

[scarface2891]

@GrrlzwillbeBoizATX Yeah, I thought lasttrain was gonna shoot me, at the end of the day who really gives a big shit who stole what 50 years ago lol

[michaelssexiangel]

i can't believe tht the beach boys stole this song LONG LIVE CHUCK BERRY this man is awesome he's always been one of my favorites and im only 24 lol

[gennyvegeta]

This song isn't stolen by beach boys...in 1963 The chess records,sells the rights of this song to Capitol records, But Chuck Berry doesn't know this matter...

[EXTERMINETOR]

@gennyvegeta ...yeah, in fact The Beach Boys had to pay 1 milion dollars to Chuck Berry ;).. anyway, it's a cover

[mkl62]

A Top 5 hit for Chuck Berry in the winter of 1958. It was kept out of the #1 spot by The Champs (Tequila).

[drawrings]

Nice. 

[monarch1957]

Love the Chuck Berry version. It's great that you have it on 78.

[corn730]

wooo go chuck! fuck u beach boys!

[kimbr]

Brian Wilson messed up with this one. While he's an excellent songwriter (with so many great songs he penned), he refused to acknowledge who actually wrote the music for Surfin' USA - which is clearly Chuck Berry. With a lawsuit pending, Murry Wilson, who managed the BB's publishing rights, gave Chuck Berry not only the rights to the music of Surfin' USA, but to the lyrics as well

And Zepplin has been sued in court (and has done a lot of settling out of court) over songs they've "borrowed."

[areazeroone]

The Berry credit for the song was AFTER Berry sued. Just want to make that clear!

[rbgtr]

stood in the recording studio of chess records where this and so many other great tunes were recorded - it's a vibe! the guy took us to the enginner's room and told us to look out the window. was an empty parking lot across the street. a little way down, he pointed out, was where vee-jay records stood. they were the ONLY label in the usa to take a risk on an unknown group called...the beatles.

as for surfin' usa, were the b-boys sued first and then changed the credit?

[HENRYMILLER0923]

wooooow

this is a very very classic!!!

i remember when my father make me hear this when i was kid!!!

+_+

[notbestfriends]

Great stuff!!

[JHBguru1]

first time i heard this was my brothers 45. i think chess records? i dont care if the've remastered the sound or what i like the scratchy record sound. killer tune by master chuck!!!

[fairportfan2]

If you look at the label on "Surfin' USA" it says "Wilson/Berry"

[nfsfreak72]

@fairportfan2

welllll...originally it only credited brian wilson but it was quickly changed after legal action.

or so i've been told.

[jason1309]

WOW beachboys totally ripped this

[manfreadstraw]

@jason1309 no, no, 'twas a labour of love... 'twas!!

[doox420]

@jason1309  think of it as flattery

[Fabiosouza420]

@jason1309 It was credited to chuck berry on the album, plus he won a lawsuit..

[cmulwee001]

@Fabiosouza420

I always thought that the Beach Boys asked Chuck is they could used the melody of his song and write totally new lyrics to it to create a song of their own, and Mr, Berry said yes.

[classymeg2005]

@cmulwee001 that's a negative hun

[baskethilt]

@jason1309 Yep, Chuck Berry tabbed it for them ;-)

[Lovegoddess411]

@jason1309  Chuck Berry sued them and got Royalties and writing credit for Surfin USA

[magicalmysterygirl]

@jason1309 Yep! I have no clue how they got away with it!

[MrCTrane83]

@magicalmysterygirl They didn't. Chuck sued them for royalties from this song.

[Paappeal]

Smelly shoe did they not ripp off this tune to make surfin in united snakes?

Fool!!!

[Paappeal]

Beachbums are a disgrace, they had no talent that is why they ponsed Chuck the King of Rock and Roll!!!!

[shoes57356345]

@Paappeal yeah you know youre right, i mean they only had one of the best pop albums of all time in pet sounds but no youre right no talent....youre ignorant

[johnnyponny4]

@Paappeal Led Zeppelin ripped off alot of songs off to. Everybody ripped off somone else back then because they could.

[tatripp]

hmmm. i just realized the beach boys copied surfin usa from this song. they also copied fun fun fun from chuck berry's Johnny B Goode

[TheAssailant6661]

@tatripp From Wikipedia: "Surfin' U.S.A." is the title of a song with lyrics written by Brian Wilson for The Beach Boys, set to the melody from Chuck Berry's Sweet Little Sixteen. Berry has sole credit for composing the song.

I assume that means with permission.

[tatripp]

@TheAssailant6661 Thanks for clearing that up.

[estelle715]

Hey,I just realized I have been to all the places mentioned in this song! Neat!

[FrostBreeze]

Ha the Beach boys were sued lolz.. who couldve ever guessed

[Dedzinatajs1337]

Oldschool !

[Ricardoriegel2009]

nesse tempo que nao existia internet a musica era verdade e entreva DINHEIRO NOS COFRES DAS GRAVADORAS,,,,,, nao existia vazamento de pirataria da musica ... pelos cds que destruiram a musica

[TheAmazingstarman]

SURFIN USA!

[PAULLONDEN]

Still sounds sensational,let alone how it sounded then.

I rember very well my first 45, Memphis Tennesee,In 1962 ....it rocked my world.

[notbestfriends]

Sure beats that rap crap!

[HendrixPrinceFlea89]

I like the innocence in the song, but goddamn it's such a contrast to what Berry is like in actuality.

[starboy288]

Ain't that the truth. He's not much fun in person or personable, unless you mean money to him.

Johnnie Johnson's piano made this cut pretty hot with those spectacular piano riffs.

[PAULLONDEN]

Might be true...the man's got a chip on his shoulder,still.....put youself in his shoes,

white people got ripped off in the music buisiness,for black people it was the norm.and he probably got some juristic bad deals from authority.

But yeah...he should lighten up a bit.

[mattybock]

@PAULLONDEN i had a friend who met chuck in st. louis (in a k-mart) and he said chuck was a polite person. we all have our bad days, and somethings it shows. if you had screaming fans asking you the same questions since 1955 while you were doing your job or having a bit of a personal life, wouldn't you get pissed every so often? that and he was in jail for many years for crimes he didn't commit.

[rbound827]

@mattybock ? Crimes he didn't commit?

[mattybock]

@rbound827 chuck berry was imprisoned by an arizona federal judge for hirng a young girl to work in his club checking hats. she was fired for some reason, and turned to prostitution. chuck berry was charged in violation of the mann act, and served 5 years in federal prison. the term put a stop to his skyrocketing career until 1964. the racial bias judge screwed chuck over big time. poor guy.

[rbound827]

@mattybock Well I knew the story- whether or not the girl was a young prostitute when Berry transported her across state lines to work in his club is unknown for sure. But Berry already had served two years time for car jacking an elderly couple at gunpoint when he was 18. He talks about it in his autobiography.

[yukikoforevernoise]

@rbound827 haha I had no idea about that story . . . that's actually really funny

[PAULLONDEN]

That's true matt,you're probably refering to the "chip on his shoulder" comment I made on some other vid.

People can be obnoxious,and everyone

has his bad days , I admitted in some other vid ,that Chuck's had a rough deal from authorities.

Most of the time he is a gentleman.

His sounds are on the NASA Voyager probe,who's about to leave our solar system and about to enter interstellar space.That's were Chuck's sounds are heading.

[mattybock]

@PAULLONDEN now i can say chuck berry's tunes are out of this world and only look like a partial doofus!

[fffdgf]

Wondeful

[elietowaz]

well they might of dtole the rythm but i like the beach boys lyrics a bit more but ur right they did steal the song

[jbreezy07]

more than the rythym surfin usa is note for note, they didnt even take time to change it a little.

[lovethick]

Beach Boys stole this song from Chuck Berry!

[ripopentheuniverse]

@lovethick Yes, isn't it scandalous?!

[TheDJGrandPa]

@lovethick No, in the 1950's (and early 1960's) people covered other people's songs all the time, and you can find a song done by 10 different artists easily.

[cholocharile]

@lovethick Chuck Berry is credited on the record of Surfin' USA. This isn't Led Zeppelin we're talking about here.

[dyad2r1]

@lovethick - You're cornfused. "Sweet Little Sixteen" is a rock and roll song written and originally performed by Chuck Berry, who released it as a single in January 1958. The Beach Boys' 1963 song "Surfin' USA" has virtually the same melody, with new lyrics that focus on the Beach Boys' ongoing theme of Surfing. (Courtesy Wikipedia)

[lovethick]

@dyad2r1 I am not confused. When I made the statement " Beach Boys stole this song from Chuck Berry", I meant The Beach Boys stole the melody from Chuck Berry's song "Sweet Little Sixteen". I was not talking about the lyrics to "Surfin' USA by The Beach Boys was exactly the same as the lyrics 2 Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen".

[F5oMikE]

@lovethick you cant steal Chuck Berry!!!

[Keijz74]

Thanks for posting.

The old Chuckster! <3

[dlmmorris]

John Lennon liked this one.

[2nahavemercy]

Thanks for the post !