"School Days" | ||||
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Single by Chuck Berry | ||||
from the album After School Session | ||||
B-side | "Deep Feeling" | |||
Released | March 1957 | |||
Format | 7" 45 RPM, 10" 78 RPM | |||
Recorded | January 21, 1957, Universal Recording Studios, Chicago, Illinois | |||
Genre | Rock and roll, rhythm and blues | |||
Length | 2:40 | |||
Label | Chess 1653 | |||
Writer(s) | Chuck Berry | |||
Producer(s) | Leonard, Phil Chess | |||
Chuck Berry singles chronology | ||||
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"School Days" (also known as "School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)") is a rock-and-roll song written and recorded by Chuck Berry and released by Chess Records as a single in March 1957 and on the LP After School Session two months later (see 1957 in music). It is one of his best-known songs and is often considered a rock-and-roll anthem.
The last verse of the song contains the lyrics "Hail, hail rock and roll / Deliver me from the days of old." Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll became the title of a 1987 concert film and documentary about Berry. Much of the song's musical arrangement was reused by Berry in 1964 in "No Particular Place to Go". The same arrangement was also used for "Big Ben Blues", a very rare recording.
Berry recorded the song on January 21, 1957, at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago, Illinois. The session(s) were produced by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil. Backing Berry were guitarist Hubert Sumlin (known for his work with Howlin' Wolf), bassist Willie Dixon, and drummer Fred Below.
Berry's record peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (his third highest-ranked pop hit) and hit number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart. It was also his first appearance on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 24.