| "Rock and Roll" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:GaryGlitter_Rock_and_Roll.jpg) Original 7-inch single | ||||
| Single by Gary Glitter | ||||
| from the album Glitter | ||||
| A-side | "Rock and Roll Part 1" | |||
| B-side | "Rock and Roll Part 2" | |||
| Released | 3 March 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Genre | Glam rock[1][2] | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Bell | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Mike Leander | |||
| Gary Glitter singles chronology | ||||
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"Rock and Roll" is a song by English singer Gary Glitter, released in 1972 from his debut studio album, Glitter. Co-written by Glitter and Mike Leander, the song is in two parts: Part 1 is a vocal track with a "Rock and Roll, Rock" chorus and some verses reflecting on the history of the genre, while Part 2 is an instrumental piece aside from the regular exclamation of the word "Hey" in different tones as the only lyric.
Both parts of "Rock and Roll" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, staying at number two for three consecutive weeks and was kept off the number one spot by Donny Osmond's cover of "Puppy Love".[3] In concert, Glitter often merged both parts of "Rock and Roll" into one performance.
"Rock and Roll" is Glitter's only top ten single in the United States. It was also in North America that "Rock and Roll Part 2" became popularly associated with sports, (especially in American football), as a number of professional teams began to play the song during games to invigorate the audience. Since Glitter's convictions for child sex offences, the song's continued use has been controversial.
In the UK, "Rock and Roll" was one of over 25 hit singles for Glitter. In the US, the instrumental version (Part 2) attracted the vast majority of the attention; it hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] The running time of the US mono 45, which is mixed different from the LP, is 3:10 whilst it is 2:58 on the US LP.
In France, "Rock and Roll Part 1" was the most successful side, peaking at number one.
- ^ Dave Thompson. "Rock & Roll, Pt. 2 review on Allmusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 18 July 2013. "It was Mike Leander, Glitter's producer and co-writer, who conceived the song, basing it around an earlier, failed, recording called "Shag Rag, That's My Bag." (...) Trimmed to 15 minutes, they called it "Rock & Roll." Edited down to an even more manageable length, they renamed it "Rock & Roll (Pts. 1 and 2)," and launched Gary Glitter as one of the brightest stars on the entire glam rock firmament."
- ^ Stuart Rosenberg (2009). iUniverse (ed.). Rock and Roll and the American Landscape: The Birth of an Industry and the Expansion of the Popular Culture, 1955-1969. p. 181. ISBN 978-1440164583. "Glam rock would bring considerable success to a number of British artists, such as Gary Glitter (nee Paul Gadd), who hit number 7 in 1972 with "Rock and Roll Part 2.""
- ^ "1972 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 8th July 1972". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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