Rock and Roll (Gary Glitter song)
Encyclopedia
"Rock and Roll", also known as "The Hey Song", is a song performed by British
glam rock
er Gary Glitter
that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter
. Co-written by Glitter and Mike Leander
, the song is in two parts: Part 1 is a vocal track reflecting on the history of the genre, and Part 2 is a mostly instrumental piece. Both parts were popular in Britain, and the single went to #2 on the British charts. In concert, Glitter merged both into one performance.
In the US, the instrumental
portion (Part 2) attracted most of the attention; it hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The US mono 45, which is mixed different from the LP, clocks in at 3:10 while the on the US LP, it runs 2:58. In France; Part 1 was the successful side, reaching #1. In the UK, "Rock and Roll" was one of over 20 hit singles for Glitter.
and the United States
, particularly when the home team scores (or wins). It was played first in a sport setting at Kalamazoo Wings hockey games in 1974 when Kevin O'Brien, the public relations and marketing director, started using it during games. When he went to work for the Colorado Rockies
hockey team in 1976, he brought the song with him. After the demise of the Colorado Rockies, the Denver Nuggets
and Denver Broncos
picked up the tradition and are the first NBA
and NFL
teams to play the song during games.
The nickname "The Hey Song" refers to fact that the only intelligible word in Part 2 is the exclamation of "hey", punctuating the end of several instrumental phrases and repeated three times at the song's chorus. At sporting events, fans often insert their own "hey", or sometimes other chanted syllables.
In 2005-2006, Glitter was convicted on child sexual abuse
charges in Vietnam
. After the conviction was upheld in court, the NFL asked teams to stop playing the song, even though Glitter had already been convicted and imprisoned on child pornography
charges in Britain
in 1997. The NFL has allowed a cover version
of the song by the Tube Tops 2000
to be played. Other professional and college teams in the US and Canada have discontinued using the song.
The song is the opening track to Phish
's widely-acclaimed 1999 live album, Hampton Comes Alive
.
The Human League
recorded a version on their UK-released EP Holiday '80
, appearing also on some issues of the Travelogue album. The band's debut performance on BBC TV's Top of the Pops
was of this cover version, in May 1980 when the said EP charted.
A band called DNA that was formed by Rick Derringer
and Carmine Appice
released a cover version of "Rock and Roll, Part 2", complete with crowd cheers, on their 1983 album Party Tested.
Doctorin' the Tardis, a novelty electronica single by The Timelords, alias The KLF
, included a re-setting of Rock and Roll's chorus with the lyric "Dr Who, Dr Who, hey! The Tardis", and reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1988.
The song was also used from 1998-1999 on the Channel 4 breakfast show The Big Breakfast in the UK. When a member of the film crew misbehaved, disagreed or undermined the presenters, Johnny Vaughan would banish them to the "Steps of Woe". As the shamed crew member departed the Big Breakfast house, the presenters and the rest of the crew would sing "Steps of Woe, Steps of Woe, hey!" until they reached the steps of the band stand at the bottom of the garden.
The Black Keys
built the song "Howlin' For You" around the distinctive drum beat in "Rock and Roll." The song also has a similar guitar riff to the Gary Glitter song.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
er Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter
Glitter (Gary Glitter album)
Glitter was an album released in 1972 by British glam rock singer Gary Glitter, produced by Bell Records. Two tracks, "I Didn't Know I Loved You " and "Rock And Roll", the latter a song in two parts, achieved success as singles; each spent time amongst the top forty singles in both the United...
. Co-written by Glitter and Mike Leander
Mike Leander
Michael George Farr professionally known as Mike Leander was an arranger and record producer for Decca Records in the 1960s and Bell Records in the 1970s and worked with such artists as Marianne Faithfull, Billy Fury, Marc Bolan, Joe Cocker, The Small Faces, Van Morrison, Alan Price, Peter...
, the song is in two parts: Part 1 is a vocal track reflecting on the history of the genre, and Part 2 is a mostly instrumental piece. Both parts were popular in Britain, and the single went to #2 on the British charts. In concert, Glitter merged both into one performance.
In the US, the instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
portion (Part 2) attracted most of the attention; it hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The US mono 45, which is mixed different from the LP, clocks in at 3:10 while the on the US LP, it runs 2:58. In France; Part 1 was the successful side, reaching #1. In the UK, "Rock and Roll" was one of over 20 hit singles for Glitter.
Use in sporting events
Part 2 of the song has often been played at various sporting events in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, particularly when the home team scores (or wins). It was played first in a sport setting at Kalamazoo Wings hockey games in 1974 when Kevin O'Brien, the public relations and marketing director, started using it during games. When he went to work for the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies (NHL)
The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
hockey team in 1976, he brought the song with him. After the demise of the Colorado Rockies, the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
and Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
picked up the tradition and are the first NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
and NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
teams to play the song during games.
The nickname "The Hey Song" refers to fact that the only intelligible word in Part 2 is the exclamation of "hey", punctuating the end of several instrumental phrases and repeated three times at the song's chorus. At sporting events, fans often insert their own "hey", or sometimes other chanted syllables.
In 2005-2006, Glitter was convicted on child sexual abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
charges in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. After the conviction was upheld in court, the NFL asked teams to stop playing the song, even though Glitter had already been convicted and imprisoned on child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
charges in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1997. The NFL has allowed a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the song by the Tube Tops 2000
Tube Tops 2000
Tube Tops 2000 are a punk rock supergroup that covered Gary Glitter's classic rock hit "Rock and Roll, Part 2." The song is currently the replacement for the Kansas City Chiefs touchdown celebration after the NFL asked teams to stop playing Glitter's version following Glitter's conviction on child...
to be played. Other professional and college teams in the US and Canada have discontinued using the song.
Sports teams
- Colorado RockiesColorado Rockies (NHL)The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
- New York IslandersNew York IslandersThe New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
- Chicago BlackhawksChicago BlackhawksThe Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
- Detroit Red WingsDetroit Red WingsThe Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
- Hartford WhalersHartford WhalersThe Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
- Los Angeles KingsLos Angeles KingsThe Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
- Minnesota North StarsMinnesota North StarsThe Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
- Carolina HurricanesCarolina HurricanesThe Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
- Anaheim Mighty Ducks
- New Jersey DevilsNew Jersey DevilsThe New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
- Colorado AvalancheColorado AvalancheThe Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
- Florida PanthersFlorida PanthersThe Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...
- Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
- Washington CapitalsWashington CapitalsThe Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
- Quebec NordiquesQuebec NordiquesThe Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
- Dallas StarsDallas StarsThe Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
- Tampa Bay LightningTampa Bay LightningThe Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
- Nashville PredatorsNashville PredatorsThe Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
- San Jose SharksSan Jose SharksThe San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
- Miami Heat
- Kansas City ChiefsKansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
In popular culture and sampling
Part 2 of this song has been used in the soundtrack to many movies, including:- The SandlotThe SandlotThe Sandlot is a 1993 American comedy-drama sports film about a group of young baseball players during the summer of 1962. The film was filmed in Utah and directed by David M. Evans...
(1993) - Reality BitesReality BitesReality Bites is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and featuring the directorial debut of Ben Stiller. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Stiller, with major supporting roles played by Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn. The film was shot on location in Austin...
(1994) - D2: The Mighty DucksD2: The Mighty DucksD2: The Mighty Ducks is the second film in The Mighty Ducks trilogy and the first theatrical sequel to The Mighty Ducks. It was produced by Avnet–Kerner Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, and it was originally released on March 25, 1994...
(1994) - Happy GilmoreHappy GilmoreHappy Gilmore is a 1996 sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and produced by Robert Simonds for Universal Studios. It stars Adam Sandler as the title character, an unsuccessful ice hockey player who discovers a talent for golf. The screenplay was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy...
(1996) - EddieEddie (film)Eddie is a 1996 comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Frank Langella. It was a moderate success, grossing $31,387,164 in the US.The film was directed by Steve Rash.- Plot summary :...
(1996) - The Full MontyThe Full MontyThe Full Monty is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber, and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy...
(1997) - Small SoldiersSmall SoldiersSmall Soldiers is a 1998 American action/science fiction film directed by Joe Dante starring Gregory Smith and Kirsten Dunst. The film revolves around two teenagers , who get caught in the middle of a war between two factions of sentient action figures, the Gorgonites and the Commando...
(1998) - Any Given SundayAny Given SundayAny Given Sunday is a 1999 American drama film directed by Oliver Stone depicting a fictional professional American football team. The film features an ensemble cast, consisting of Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, James Woods, LL Cool J, Matthew Modine, John C...
(1999) - The Beautiful Game (1999)
- BedazzledBedazzled (2000 film)Bedazzled is a 2000 film remake of the 1967 film Bedazzled , originally written by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, which was itself a comic retelling of the Faust legend...
(2000) - The ReplacementsThe Replacements (film)The Replacements is a 2000 American film directed by Howard Deutch. It stars Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Brooke Langton and Orlando Jones.-Plot:...
(2000) - Sugar & SpiceSugar & SpiceSugar & Spice is a 2001 American teen crime comedy film directed by Francine McDougall. It was filmed entirely in the state of Minnesota.-Plot:...
(2001) - Moonlight Mile (2002)
- Like MikeLike MikeLike Mike is a 2002 film, directed by John Schultz and starring Lil' Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki and Brenda Song. It was produced in association with NBA Entertainment and features many cameo appearances by NBA stars...
(2002) - Meet the FockersMeet the FockersMeet the Fockers is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Jay Roach and the sequel to Meet the Parents. The film stars Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner and Teri Polo. It was followed up by a sequel, Little Fockers, in 2010.-Plot:Nurse Gaylord "Greg"...
(2004) - The Longest YardThe Longest Yard (2005 film)The Longest Yard is a 2005 American sports comedy film remake of the 1974 film of the same name. Adam Sandler plays the protagonist, Paul Crewe, a disgraced former professional football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, who is coerced to form a team from the prison inmates to play...
(2005) - Ice PrincessIce PrincessIce Princess is a 2005 American figure-skating film directed by Tim Fywell, Starring Michelle Trachtenberg, Joan Cusack, Kim Cattrall, Hayden Panettiere, Trevor Blumas, and Kirsten Olson...
(2005) - Semi-ProSemi-ProSemi-Pro is a 2008 American sports screwball comedy film from New Line Cinema. The film was directed by Kent Alterman and stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tierney. The film was shot in Los Angeles near Dodger Stadium , in Detroit and in Flint, Michigan...
(2008) - Four ChristmasesFour ChristmasesFour Christmases is a Christmas-themed romantic comedy film about a couple who go to see their divorced parents in one day...
(2008) - South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode "Elementary School Musical" (2008) - "Causa y EfectoCausa y Efecto"" is a song performed by Mexican singer Paulina Rubio. The song was recorded for her ninth studio album Gran City Pop, and was released as the lead single on March 30, 2009. Causa y Efecto became a hit reaching number 1 in the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Songs and Hot Latin Airplays. Causa y Efecto...
" (2009)
Cover versions
Punk band D.I. covered this song on their 1983 EP Team Goon.The song is the opening track to Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
's widely-acclaimed 1999 live album, Hampton Comes Alive
Hampton Comes Alive
Hampton Comes Alive is a six-disc live album by the American rock band Phish, released on November 23, 1999, by Elektra Records. It is the band's third live album and the first time complete live Phish concerts were released in their entirety...
.
The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
recorded a version on their UK-released EP Holiday '80
Holiday '80
Holiday '80 is an EP released by the original line-up of the British synthpop band The Human League. The EP was issued by Virgin Records in the UK in April 1980, a month before the release of the band's second album Travelogue. The EP peaked at no. 56 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1980, but was...
, appearing also on some issues of the Travelogue album. The band's debut performance on BBC TV's Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
was of this cover version, in May 1980 when the said EP charted.
A band called DNA that was formed by Rick Derringer
Rick Derringer
Rick Derringer is an American guitarist, vocalist, and entertainer.-1960s:When he was seventeen years old, his band The McCoys recorded "Hang on Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, which became the number one song in America before "Yesterday" by The Beatles knocked it out of the top spot. The song was...
and Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice is an American rock drummer of Italian background and is the older brother of drummer Vinny Appice by 12 years. He received a classical music training and was influenced by the jazz drumming of Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa early on...
released a cover version of "Rock and Roll, Part 2", complete with crowd cheers, on their 1983 album Party Tested.
Doctorin' the Tardis, a novelty electronica single by The Timelords, alias The KLF
The KLF
The KLF were one of the seminal bands of the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s....
, included a re-setting of Rock and Roll's chorus with the lyric "Dr Who, Dr Who, hey! The Tardis", and reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1988.
The song was also used from 1998-1999 on the Channel 4 breakfast show The Big Breakfast in the UK. When a member of the film crew misbehaved, disagreed or undermined the presenters, Johnny Vaughan would banish them to the "Steps of Woe". As the shamed crew member departed the Big Breakfast house, the presenters and the rest of the crew would sing "Steps of Woe, Steps of Woe, hey!" until they reached the steps of the band stand at the bottom of the garden.
The Black Keys
The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
built the song "Howlin' For You" around the distinctive drum beat in "Rock and Roll." The song also has a similar guitar riff to the Gary Glitter song.