Great Balls of Fire

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By the time I came into this world on the first of March in 1957 rock and roll was all the rage. Of course, with time and patience, I would begin my rock and roll education. Actually, it all started with a guy called Elvis. For some reason, he fascinated five-year-old me and I would put on the TV see Elvis doing his thing there and singing and I would lay in front of the TV and color in my coloring books. My dad would take a look at what I was watching and tried to get my attention by imitating Elvis’ crazy moves. What it did was make me laugh. Even though Elvis and I had about a 15 year age difference we managed to communicate through music. I sort of took the back door into the world of music and began discussing top songs from the 1970s because they were my teenage years. Now I am taking a step back into time and beginning to look at the music from the late 1950s through the 1960s. I think of myself having been born at that awkward time. I missed all that great 1950s high school stuff and was too young for the hippie and flower children stuff and even Woodstock in the 1960s but still, this music is the music I love the best. The reason I look upon myself as a rock and roll baby is that I was born when such awesome artists were on top like Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard among many others. To begin with, this music series I chose the song “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis because I could imagine that would have been the thing he could have shouted if he had been there to see me come into this world. Not only that but anyone would have been amazed to see the hospital I was born in The Shore Road Hospital found in Google from ancient times and you can see it looks like a large mansion. In its place today there is a large residential apartment building for senior citizens. “Great Balls of Fire” was recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis in 1957 and was featured in the movie “Jamboree”. This recording was ranked number 96th in the Greatest Song Ever list by Rolling Stone magazine. It sold one million copies just ten days after it was released in the U.S and went on to sell more than 5 million copies. Jerry Lee Lewis recorded his version in the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. What do you all think about this song? What were your favorites in 1957?