"Carol"
Single by Chuck Berry
B-side"Hey Pedro"
ReleasedAugust 1958 (1958-08)
Recorded12 June 1958
StudioChess (Chicago)[1]
GenreRock and roll
Length2:21
LabelChess
Songwriter(s)Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry singles chronology
"Beautiful Delilah"
(1958) 		"Carol"
(1958) 		"Jo Jo Gunne"
(1958)

"Carol" is a song written and recorded by Chuck Berry, first released by Chess Records in 1958, with "Hey Pedro" as the B-side. The single reached number 18 on Billboard's Hot 100 and number 9 on the magazine's R&B chart.[2] In 1959, it was included on his first compilation album, Chuck Berry Is on Top.

Berry employs his well-known guitar figure, which AllMusic critic Matthew Greenwald describes as "a guitar lick that indeed propelled not just Berry's greatest works, but the rock & roll genre itself."[3] The Rolling Stones recorded it in 1964 for their debut album and a live version was released on Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! (1969).[3] A live recording from Oakland in November 1969 is included in the bootleg Live'r Than You'll Ever Be. Their recordings were preceded by a performance by the Beatles in 1963, later included on Live at the BBC (1994). Several other artists have also recorded the song.[4]

References

  1. ^ "The Chuck Berry Database: Details For Recording Session: 12. 6. 1958". A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry. Dietmar Rudolph. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 42. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
  3. ^ a b Greenwald, Matthew. "Chuck Berry: Carol – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  4. ^ "Carol – Also Performed By". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2018.


Categories