Roll Over Beethoven

The words touch on the motifs of americanism, music and plea. The writing reaches for wordplay (classical composers told to roll over for rock), and it is on more of the Beatles' 1968 records than any other year's. Oddly enough, the title gives a person's name, most at home in their 1968 songs, and it reaches once for triple rhyme ("DJ/play/today"). Incidentally, the line "In the morning" turns up in 6 Beatles songs, among them 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)', 'What Goes On' and 'For You Blue'.

'Roll Over Beethoven' is a rock and roll song, blues influences showing through (12-bar blues form), played at roughly 155 BPM in the key of D major. Listen for the defining riff, a berry-style opening lead guitar riff. It is a 12-bar blues, one of 32 in the catalogue, such as 'Money (That's What I Want)' and 'Little Child'. As it happens, the chords run D7 → G7 → D → A7 → G7 → D, which is 'Kansas City / Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!''s G7 → C7 → G → D7 → C7 → G in another key.

Cut at EMI Studios alongside several other With The Beatles covers, with all four Beatles adding handclap overdubs. The Hofner 500/1 carried McCartney's bass. The session was set up with the Ludwig Downbeat, heard on 17 songs that year. The sound was built with double tracked vocal, most at home in their 1964 writing. It shares its session day with three others, the 23rd to the 26th of their career.

Chuck Berry wrote it, and it was chosen for George to sing. Lead guitar opens with signature Berry riff, and 1963 is the year the Beatles reached for it most.

This song was never a single, and it reached the public with With The Beatles, on November 22, 1963. In America it arrived five months later, on The Beatles' Second Album, a Capitol record. This track was the 24th of 32 released in that year, and the 26th in their whole run.