Memphis, Tennessee

From Wikipedia:

“Memphis, Tennessee” is a song by Chuck Berry. It is sometimes shortened to “Memphis“. In the UK, the song charted at #6 in 1963, at the same time Decca Records issued a cover version in the UK by Dave Berry and the Cruisers, which also became a UK Top 20 hit single. “Memphis, Tennessee” was most successfully covered by Johnny Rivers whose version of the song was a #2 US hit in 1964.

In the song the narrator is speaking to a long-distance operator, trying to find out the number of a girl named Marie, who lives in Memphis, Tennessee “on the southside, high upon a ridge, just a half a mile from the Mississippi bridge.” The narrator offers little information to the operator at first, only that he misses Marie and that they were separated by Marie’s mother. The final verse reveals that Marie is, in fact, the narrator’s six-year-old daughter; her mother, presumably the narrator’s ex-wife, left their home and took Marie with her.

Chuck Berry later composed a sequel, “Little Marie“, which appeared in 1964 as a single and on the album St. Louis to Liverpool.

The Beatles versions

The Beatles recorded five versions of “Memphis, Tennessee” for BBC radio. One version that was recorded on 30 July 1963 for the Pop Go The Beatles radio show was included on Live at the BBC in 1994. Another version that was recorded a few months later on 5 October 1963 for the Saturday Club radio show was included on On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 in 2013.

The group first performed it for their failed Decca audition on 1 January 1962, with Pete Best on drums. […]

Lyrics

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

Live performances

“Memphis, Tennessee” has been played in 7 concerts.

Latest concerts where “Memphis, Tennessee” has been played