[If] there is any one performer who conceivably could be credited with having influenced every rock 'n' roll and rock musician to follow, it would be Berry. Equally important, he was the first major figure to write the kind of songs that reflected the romance between rock 'n' roll and youth culture. He was one of the first performers to realize that rock 'n' roll was more than just a music kids liked; that it had a social importance quite distinct from, and perhaps more significant than, its role as a music. (p. 31)

"Maybellene" was a good, exciting, up-tempo rocker, but its lyrics had little distinction, unless one wants to push a point and make a case for the common people out of the Ford's winning the race. In April 1956, a song of a different stripe entered the charts. It was "Roll Over, Beethoven," the first outright statement...