Lucille (Little Richard song)


"Lucille" is a 1957 rock and roll song originally recorded by American musician Little Richard. Released on Specialty Records in February 1957, the single reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart, 21 on the US pop chart, and number 10 on the UK chart. It was composed by Albert Collins and Little Richard. First pressings of Specialty 78rpm credit Collins as the sole writer. Little Richard bought half of the song's rights while Collins was in Louisiana State Penitentiary.
The song foreshadowed the rhythmic feel of 1960s rock music in several ways, including its heavy bassline and slower tempo, inspired by the chugging of a train the band were riding. The scene-setting sections also feature stop-time breaks and no change in harmony, and it has a darker sound because most of the instruments use a low register.

Recording

Little Richard sang and played piano on his recording, backed by a band consisting of Lee Allen, Alvin "Red" Tyler, Roy Montrell, Frank Fields, and Earl Palmer.

Legacy

In 2002, "Lucille" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Music critic and writer Dave Marsh included the song on his list of The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made at number 670.

Other recordings

Little Richard re-recorded "Lucille", like many of his other hits, multiple times throughout his career. The first substantially different version of the song was recorded in 1964 and appeared on Little Richard's Greatest Hits. His last recording appears on the 1992 album Little Richard Meets Masayoshi Takanaka.
In 1994, Little Richard appeared on the television series Sesame Street performing a rewritten version of "Lucille" entitled "Rosita", about the Muppet character of the same name.

Cover versions

In 1960 The Everly Brothers recorded the song.
In 1963 The Hollies recorded their version.
On September 3, 1963, the Beatles recorded "Lucille" for the BBC's Pop Go the Beatles #14. They recorded a second version on September 7, 1963, for Saturday Club's 5th Birthday Edition.
In 1964 Ralph Williams/The Marauders recorded a version of "Lucille" on Decca Records.
Deep Purple frequently performed "Lucille" as an encore during the 1970s and 1980s. One performance is included as a bonus track on the 1998 reissue of their album Made in Japan. In 1984, during their tour in Australia, George Harrison joined Deep Purple on stage to perform the song.
At the closing day on December 29, 1979 of the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, the supergroup Rockestra performed the song.
In 1983, Waylon Jennings recorded his version of "Lucille". Released as a single, it became Jennings' twelfth number one on the country chart. In Canada, it reached number four.