ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN (The Electric Light Orchestra)
“Roll Over Beethoven” is a 1956 hit single by Chuck Berry originally released on Chess Records, with “Drifting Heart” as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to replace classical music. Electric Light Orchestra’s (ELO) elaborate eight-minute reworking of “Roll Over Beethoven” included an opening musical quote from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and clever interpolations of material from the symphony’s first movement into Berry’s song. This became one of ELO’s signature songs and was used to close all of their concerts. (More from Wikipedia)
I am pretty sure that I must have heard a track or two by the Dutch progressive rock band Ekseption on college radio back in the day; otherwise, I don’t know how Aram Khachaturian’s “Sabre Dance” would sound so familiar to me. The opening track on their self-titled debut album in 1969, Ekseption – simply called “The 5th” – is based on Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. This might be the first pop treatment of the symphony, though there have been many others over the years. One of the Electric Light Orchestra’s earliest hits is a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” that incorporated some parts of the symphony.
(January 2013)
