Meaning of Whole Lot Of Shakin' Going On by Jerry Lee Lewis

The song was first sung by Mabel Louise Smith, who performed under the stage name Big Maybelle, but the worldwide hit Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On was performed by Jerry Lee Lewis.

His version evoked playful thoughts in the youth and resentment in the prim representatives of the older generation. It was criticized by priests, censored by editors, not allowed to air by DJs, but this did not stop the song from becoming a big hit, which was later played by many popular musicians.

Story of Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On

The official songwriter is Dave Williams. Pianist James Faye “Roy” Hall, better known as Sunny David, was also credited on the first LPs as a co-author.

Hall recalled:

I was in Pahokey, on Lake Okeechobee… hanging out on that damn pond, fishing, but drinking more wine… One guy had a big bell that he rang to invite us to dinner. I asked, “What’s going on?” That colored guy [речь о Дейве Уильямсе] answered: “We got twen’y-one drums, we got an old bass horn, an’ they even keepin’ time on a ding-dong”. (“We have twenty-one drums, we have an old trumpet, and they keep the rhythm on the ding-dong”).

This phrase became the opening line of the first version of the future song.

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On March 21, 1955, Big Maybelle’s Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On was released on Okeh Records. The record was produced by Quincy Jones.

In September 1955, the composition was recorded by Roy Hall. His version was released on Decca Records.

Jerry Lee Lewis version

In 1954, Jerry Lee Lewis played with Roy Hall at the Musicians’ Hideaway. He then learned Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On and later performed it frequently with The Jerry Lee Lewis Trio.

They once played at a club in Osceola, Arkansas. The audience did not like their songs, and the musicians had to dodge bottles and other objects flying onto the stage. The situation was saved by Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On, which they then performed for the first time. Although Jerry didn’t remember the words, the audience was enthralled and demanded to repeat the track twenty-three times.

In the fall of 1956, Lewis was signed by Sun Studio. The musician’s debut single was a cover of Crazy Arms by Ray Price. In February, he was again invited to the studio. At first, producer Jack Clement offered Jerry to play his track It’ll Be Me, but no one liked the result.

Then bassist JWBrown, who performed with Lewis, remembered Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On. The next word is Jack Clement:

…I turned on the tape recorder and he recorded Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On in one take. No trial runs – nothing. That was the first time I heard her.

Clement did not have to work on the track for a long time:

I just turned on the machine and mixed the song on the fly.

Rolling stone

Let’s hear Jerry:

I clearly remember everything. I recorded Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On. Recorded it for the first time. As soon as I recorded it, I knew it was a hit. Sam Philips [Sam Phillips, основатель Sun Studio]thought that it was too risky to let her out, that she would not go.

Nevertheless, Philips agreed to publish the composition. It came out on May 27, 1957. The track climbed to number three on the Billboard pop chart and topped the R&B and country charts.

At first, radio stations refused to play the song. They were confused by slippery allusions and dubious euphemisms. The lyrics to Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On seem harmless now, but for the late fifties they were very bold.

The Library of Congress has added Jerry Lee Lewis’s Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On to the National Register of Records. The song is also included in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Other cover versions

Subsequently, Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On has been played by many famous musicians, including Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Lee Hazlewood, Elvis Presley and Elton John.

Interesting Facts

In the documentary Pop Chronicles, Jerry Lee Lewis erroneously attributed the composition to Big Mama Thornton.

Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On Lyrics Jerry Lee Lewis

Well, come on over baby, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Yes, I said come on over baby, baby you can’t go wrong
We ain’t fakin’, while lotta shakin’ goin’ on

Well, I said come on over baby, we got chicken in the barn
Come on over baby, really got the bull by the horn
We ain’t fakin’, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on

Well, I said shake, baby, shake
I said shake, baby, shake
I said shake it baby shake it
And then shake, baby, shake
Come on over, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Oh, let’s go!

Well, I said come along my baby, we got chicken in the barn
Whose barn? What bar? My barn
Come along my baby, really got the bull by the horn
We ain’t fakin’, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on

Easy now
I said shake
Ah, shake it, baby
Yeah
You can shake it one time for me
I said come on over baby
Whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Now, let’s get down real low one time now
Shake, baby, shake
All you gotta do, honey, is kinda stand in one spot
Wiggle around just a little bit, that’s when you got it, yeah
Come on baby, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Now let’s go one time

Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On Lyrics – Jerry Lee Lewis Alternative

Come on, come here baby, everything is shaking
Yes, I tell you, come here, baby, you can’t go wrong
We don’t pretend while everything is shaking

Come on, I say, come here, baby, we have chickens in the barn,
Come here baby, I immediately took the bull by the horns
We don’t pretend while everything is shaking

I say shake it baby shake it
I say shake it baby shake it
I tell you baby, shake it, shake it
Then shake it baby shake it
Come on, everything is shaking
Forward!

Come on, I say, come here, baby, we have chickens in the barn.
Whose barn? What barn? My barn.
Come here baby, I immediately took the bull by the horns
We don’t pretend everything is shaking

Now it’s easier
I’m telling you shake it up
Shake her baby
Yes
Shake her one more time for me
I say come on baby
Everything around is shaking.
Now let’s get real low together
Shake it baby shake it
All you have to do baby is just stand still
Swing your hips a little, that’s the right way
Come on baby, everything’s shaking
Let’s get together now