422 PART 4 | SINCE WORLD WAR II
timing section text comments0:00 introduction Drum “bomb” begins 8-bar introduction. Rising
riff in alto and tenor saxes is answered call-and-
response style by growling trumpet. In bars 1, 3,
and 5, bass notes on beats 1 and 3 and light cymbal
strokes on beat 2 and 4 (the backbeat) set a relaxed
groove, alternating with a habanera beat in bars 2,
4, and 6. Bars 7–8 are a solo tenor sax break.0:14 chorus 1 I heard the news... Harris’s raspy voice is backed by walking bass,
doubled boogie-style in the piano’s left hand, with
hand claps on the backbeat.
0:33 chorus 2 Have you heard the
news...The lyrics vary only slightly from chorus 1. Harris
begins with a bit of back phrasing.
0:52 chorus 3 So meet me in the alley... Lyrics suggest that the pleasures of “good rocking”
might be illicit. The band drops out in bars 7–8 for a
vocal break that adds to the innuendo.
1:12 chorus 4 Tenor sax solo begins over the end of the preceding
chorus. Repeated-note “honking” is characteristic of
R&B sax improvisations.
1:32 chorus 5 I got the news... Slight variation of the opening chorus, with vocal
break at bars 7–8 as in chorus 3.1:50 chorus 6 Well, Elder Brown... References to Elder Brown and Deacon Jones
suggest that “good rocking” can lead the pious to
stray from the straight and narrow.
2:10 chorus 7 Sweet Lorraine... The women mentioned are characters from other
songs, ranging from 1928 (“Sweet Lorraine”) to
1945 (“Caldonia,” an R&B hit for Louis Jordan).
2:29 chorus 8 Hoy, hoy, hoy, hoy... “Hoy hoy” is hipster slang dating back to a 1937
Cab Calloway record. Chorus ends prematurely
with a postwar studio effect, the fadeout.songwriter: Roy Brown
date: 1948
performers: Wynonie Harris, vocal, with
alto sax, tenor sax, trumpet, piano, bass,
drums, hand claps
genre: rhythm and blues
meter: duple
form: strophic 12-bar bluesWHAT TO LISTEN FOR- “shouting” vocal style
- “honking” tenor sax style
- dance rhythm with heavy emphasis on
backbeat - fadeout ending
CD 3.14 Listening Guide 17.3 “Good Rocking Tonight” WYNONIE HARRIS172028_17_412-439_r3_sd.indd 422 23/01/13 10:58 AM