Great Balls of Fire

"Great Balls of Fire"
Single by Jerry Lee Lewis
B-side	"You Win Again"
Released	November 11, 1957
Recorded	October 8, 1957, Sun Studio, Memphis, Tennessee
Genre	Rock and roll, rockabilly, country[1][2]
Length	1:52
Label	Sun 281
Writer(s)	Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer[3]
Producer(s)	Sam Phillips
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Jerry Lee Lewis singles chronology
"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (1957) "Great Balls of Fire" (1957) "You Win Again" (1957)

"Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 song recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records^[4] and featured in the 1957 movie Jamboree. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer. The Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 recording was ranked as the 96th greatest song ever by Rolling Stone. The song is in AABA form.^[5] The song sold one million copies in its first 10 days of release in the United States and sold over five million copies, making it both one of the best-selling singles in the United States, as well as one of the world's best-selling singles of all time.

Song information

The song is best known for Jerry Lee Lewis's original recording, which was recorded in the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee,^[4] on October 8, 1957, using Roland Janes on guitar and JM Van Eaton on drums. It was released as a 45rpm single on Sun 281 in November 1957. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard pop charts, No. 3 on the R&B charts,^[6] and No. 1 on the country charts.^[2] It also reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart,^[7][8] appeared on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and the Dutch Top 40.

The song was featured in a performance by Jerry Lee Lewis and his band in the 1957 Warner Brothers rock and roll film Jamboree, which also featured Carl Perkins, Fats Domino, Buddy Knox, and Dick Clark. The recording was also released in the UK on London Records.

The song title is derived from a Southern expression, which some Christians consider blasphemous, that refers to the Pentecost's defining moment when the Holy Spirit manifested as "cloven tongues as of fire" and the Apostles spoke in tongues.

Chart performance

Chart (1957–1958)	Peak position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[9]	30
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10]	8
UK Singles Chart (The Official Charts Company)[7]	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	2

Legacy

• Monty Python references the song's title in the "World Forum" sketch, a fake game show, as heard on the live album Monty Python Live at City Center. Terry Gilliam, portraying Mao Zedong, says the song title as the only correct answer the "distinguished panel" offers in the early rounds. The song was used for the New York City audience in place of "Sing, Little Birdie," which was the song title used in the original sketch.
• The song is featured in the 1989 jukebox musical Return to the Forbidden Planet.
• This song is also performed by Scott Bakula in Quantum Leap in the episode called Miss Deep South in Season 3.
• Levi Kreis, portraying Jerry Lee Lewis, sang "Great Balls of Fire" in the Broadway musical "Million Dollar Quartet," which opened in New York in April, 2010;^[11] and Kreis covered the song on the "Million Dollar Quartet" original Broadway cast recording (copyright 2010 by MDQ Merchandising, LLC).^[12] Levi Kreis won a 2010 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in “Million Dollar Quartet.”^[13]
• In the fantasy novel, Temptress of the Flame, a character exclaims "Goodness gracious. Great balls of fire?" after being informed about stars.^[14]
• In the 1986 film, Top Gun, LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Portrayed by Anthony Edwards) sang this song in a bar with his family and Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise). The song is available on the Top Gun Soundtrack special edition released in 1999.
• The 1989 biopic, Great Balls of Fire! about Lewis, played by Dennis Quaid, is derived from the song.
• The Tempest, a unit added in the game StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, will reply "Goodness gracious, big balls of lightning" when selected repeatedly, a reference to the song and to the energy attack that the unit uses.
• On September 17, 2015, Andrew Burnes posted a review of Great Balls of Fire on The East Texan's website which started great controversy and brought elders to the site in droves to defend the honor of their favorite artist.^[15]

Other recordings

• The Crickets released their version of the song in 1960 on their album, "In Style With The Crickets."
• A version by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas was on the "Little Children" album in 1964.
• The Kingsmen released a version on their 1964 LP The Kingsmen Volume II.
• The Newbeats released a version as the B-side to their 1969 single, "Thou Shalt Not Steal".^[16]
• The Hassles (featuring a then unknown Billy Joel) released their version as a single in 1969.
• Gary Lewis and the Playboys released a cover of this song in 1970 as the B-Side to the song "I'm On The Right Road Now."
• Aerosmith performed a cover of this song at Nipmuc Regional High School's prom on Nov. 6, 1970.^[17]
• New Grass Revival recorded a high-speed bluegrass version of the song on their 1972 album The Arrival of the New Grass Revival.
• Electric Light Orchestra recorded a version for their 1974 The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach live album.^[18]
• Dolly Parton recorded a version in 1979, releasing her cover as the title song of her Great Ball of Fire album; her recording was released as the "B" side of her "Sweet Summer Lovin'" single, and it received a moderate amount of radio airplay during the fall of 1979. Parton still often includes the song in her concert set lists.
• Amii Stewart recorded a version on her 1981 album Images.
• Alvin and the Chipmunks recorded a version for "The Amazing Chipmunks," a 1988 episode of their TV series.
• OV7 made a version in Spanish called "Grandes luces de fuego" in 1989.
• Fleetwood Mac, included the track on the 1999 release of the Shrine '69 live album which was recorded at the Shrine Auditorium in 1969
• The Misfits recorded a version in 2003 for their Project 1950 album.
• Teitur recorded a version in 2006, released on the Stay Under the Stars album.
• The French singer Dorothée recorded a duet with Jerry Lee Lewis in 1992, released on the Une histoire d'amour album.
• Offenbach included the song on the live DVD of the album Ultime (2007).
• Dean Delannoit, record the song for his debut album (2007).
• Tiny Tim recorded a version as the b-side to "Tiptoe Through the Tulips."
• Alan Merrill recorded a version on his "Double Shot Rocks" album in 2003.
• American doo-wop band The Flamingos recorded a version on their album "Unspoken Emotions".
• Johnny Winter, recorded a version on the album "Johnny Winter And.... Live."
• Seamus, a stereotyped pirate from the animated show "Family Guy," performed the song in a church organist audition as seen on the episode "Boys Do Cry" (season 5).
• A version of the song served as the theme song for the Madballs animated series.
• Mae West did a version on the album titled with the same name Great Balls of Fire.
• The Jolly Boys covered this song for the Old Jamaica Ginger Beer advert in 2010 and is also on their album Great Expectation.
• Top Gun "Goose" and "Maverick" perform this song while Goose plays the piano.
• Ronnie Dio & the Prophets recorded this song for the Live at Domino's album on February 24, 1963.^[19]
• In 1986 the first episode of the Madballs TV show, Freakella and The Madballs band sing a cover of "Great Balls of Fire".
• Garth Brooks for the 2013 album Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences.^[20]

References

1. Billboard, 18 November 1957, p. 52
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 200.
3. "Jack Hammer". Rockabilly.nl. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
4. Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 8 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
5. Covach, John (2005), "Form in Rock Music: A Primer", in Stein, Deborah, Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis, New York: Oxford University Press, p.70, ISBN 0-19-517010-5
6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 347.
7. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 34. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
8. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 80. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
9. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Jerry Lee Lewis search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
10. "Charts.org.nz – Jerry Lee Lewis – Great Balls of Fire)". Top 40 Singles.
11. "Photo Coverage: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET Opens on Broadway". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
12. MDQ Merchandising LLC (2010). “Song List” and “Performing Credits”. In Million Dollar Quartet (p. 5) [CD booklet]. New York City: Avatar Studios; and Chicago: Chicago Recording Company.
13. "Rocker-Turned-Broadway Star Levi Kreis Wins Tony for Million Dollar Quartet | Tony Awards 2010". Broadway.com. 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
14. "Temptress of the Flame". Play.google.com. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
15. "The East Texan : A Limited Legacy". Tamuceasttexan.com. 2015-09-17. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
16. The Newbeats, "Thou Shalt Not Steal" single release Retrieved April 25, 2015
17. Erikkson, Cristoffer. "SONGS THAT AEROSMITH HAS COVERED". Retrieved 23 July 2012.
18. Eder, Bruce. "The Night the Lights Went On (In Long Beach) - Electric Light Orchestra : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
19. "Ronnie Dio's Early Years". Padavona.com. 1963-02-24. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
20. Alex Lux released via; youtube.com produced by: Monster D - February 27th., 2015.