For my second chapter to this challenge, I will harken back to the early days of Rock and Roll. And at the same time add another blog post to my Soundtrack of a Lifetime. The Soundtrack is a hobby I began in 2018 to discuss the music of my generation.
This one is a novelty song that I remember from the early 1970s. It is one most of you will recognize as well.
Growing up I was a big Chuck Berry fan. I enjoyed his songs like his 1955 hit Maybelline, his 1958 hit Johnny B. Goode, and his 1964 record, No Particular Place to Go.
By the 1970s, Chuck Berry’s impact on Rock and Roll had passed to younger musicians. The genre was transitioning to harder rock and psychedelic music that featured big-name bands like Led Zepplin and The Who.
But despite slowing record sales, Berry still commanded audiences across the globe with live shows. Needing a big hit to stay relevant, in 1972 Berry recorded and released a novelty song titled "My Ding-a-Ling". The song was a cover of an old 1952 recording by singer/songwriter Dave Bartholomew, but Berry added his own signature.
In the story, Berry receives a gift from his grandmother. It was silver bells tied to a string that she called his ding-a-ling. Everywhere he went he played with his ding-a-ling.
The result was a song that became Chuck Berry’s anthem, and his only number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It topped the charts for several weeks and finished as the number 15 song of the year in 1972.
My Ding-a-Ling was intended to be funny and was well-received by Berry’s younger audience. Yet, it did not please everyone. The song was banned by many radio stations as being too sexually suggestive.
By today’s standards, the language would be considered quite mild.
It goes to prove that satire and comedy are always in the eyes (and ears) of the beholder.
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Take three minutes to enjoy a fun video of Chuck Berry performing My Ding-a-Ling.
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