'Memphis' (the song) — An appreciation by Verlyn Klinkenborg

He hit one of my sweet spots with his "Editorial Observer" feature in today's New York Times about Chuck Berry's iconic tune, first released as a B-side in 1959.

Not only did he single out one of my favorite lines: "Hurry home drops [on her cheek]," but he also tossed moderation to the winds and came out on the record in favor of Johnny Rivers' version (above), recorded live at the Whiskey a Go Go on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood in July 1964, being the one that "... best captures the internal tension of the song."

The Times gave him very limited space (five short paragraphs, about 450 words) which probably precluded his citing my favorite line, to wit: "'Cause my uncle took the message and he wrote it on the wall."

Sweet.

But don't take my — or his word — for it: click up top and hear it for yourself.

Here's Klinkenborg's piece.

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Memphis

If I had to name the best short story in the form of a song lyric, I suspect the winner would be Chuck Berry’s “Memphis, Tennessee,” first released as a B-side in 1959. Lately, it has been haunting me — the metrical precision of the lyrics, its emotional realism and, of course, the revelation in the penultimate line. You know the one: that this is a father’s mournful love song to his daughter, Marie, who is only 6 years old.

What I really find myself listening to is Chuck Berry the sociologist of incredible economy. It’s the open-ended plea to that disembodied personage, “Long-distance information.” It’s the household where uncles write messages on the wall. It’s the geographical precision of Marie’s home, “high up on a ridge, just a half a mile from the Mississippi bridge.” Undercutting it all is the very hopelessness of the singer’s plea.

The version I know best is the one Johnny Rivers recorded, live, at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood. It reached No. 2 on the charts in July 1964. In some ways, it best captures the internal tension of the song. He plays it bright and clear. His guitar rings through the bridge and chunks away in the verse. His Louisiana twang adds its own geography to the lyric — just listen to the way he sings “ridge.” Behind it all are the handclaps of a joyful audience. For the story of a shattered man, this is an incredibly happy song.

“Memphis, Tennessee” is also a reminder of how much country there was in Chuck Berry’s rock ’n’ roll. Just listen to the version recorded by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos in 1965. The swing in Johnny Rivers’s version has gone stiff-legged and angular. The melodic line has been straightened by the harmony of Owens and his guitarist, Don Rich. And yet it’s glorious, a country plaint closer, in many ways, to the original.

I’m no longer surprised by Marie being 6 years old. But her “hurry home drops” do still surprise me, every time. I wonder even now about the operator on the other end of that connection, and the sequel. I like to think that, in the end, the call was placed and a happy ending found, if only in joint custody.

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Lyrics below.

FunFact: Chuck Berry is still touring the world (and duck walking) at 83.

You could look it up.