Song History: "Great Balls of Fire" - Jerry Lewis (1957)
In general, there are many legends about Lewis. His role was "too frightening." Only Chuck Berry was more scandalous than him. He was even given the nickname "killer". For what?! Now let's tell...
1) He shot his bass player in the lung by accident, of course!
2) He "wanted to kill" Elvis! One day, he came to visit at the invitation of the Presley house, but decided to play the guards, and said that he had come to kill. With these words, he took out a pistol, and the guards immediately twisted it ...
3) He was the prime suspect in the death of his wives! And yes, it is wives, not wives ... more precisely 2 wives. He had 6 of them at different times!
4) He was accused of pedophilia... But it was love!
Unusual person...
The behavior of Jerry Lee Lewis was eccentric and defiant. His playing style was cocky, as if the devil was in control of him! And he felt it! He played with his feet, beat the piano with his hands, shouted and was the most energy on stage. He took large doses of alcohol and drugs. It was a dangerous star that attracted and repelled at the same time.
The musician grew up in a deeply religious family, and the parents wanted their son to perform Christian music. When Jerry heard the groovy rock'n'roll, he immediately went over to the side of "dark music".
He understood this contrast, he felt it. Therefore, thoughts about the correctness of a particular composition came to him quite often.
"Big Fireballs" (1961)
In the 56th year, he was already known. His hit "Whole Lotta Shaking Goin On" reached number three in the United States.
He recorded his biggest hit a year later. The song was written by Ottis Blackwell, who wrote most of Elvis' songs, and Jack Hammer. They created this composition for the new musical film Jamboree. The song was offered to Carl Lee Perkins, however, it was not the only song offered to him. He chose another. And, now, it is already obvious: he made the wrong choice!
The ownerless "Fireballs" went to Jerry. And now the main thing ... He did not want to perform them at first. Why? Just because of religious beliefs! He regularly experienced bouts of "religious repentance". The lyrics were often innovative, overstepping some moral standards. And of course, it was all the tricks of the devil! Incidentally, the 2005 movie Walk The Line, named after a Johnny Cash song, captures one of those moments perfectly. In this scene, Jerry says to his fellow members of the scene: "we're all going to hell!". According to him, "Big fireballs" were too sinful. And he directly stated this to his producer. And it was true! The song contains biblical references. This refers to punishment from heaven sent for the sins of man.
Moreover, in the song this shade is also diluted with sexual colors. So what kind of balls the singer and author has in mind is still a mystery. Alcohol and drugs helped in the recording of this sinful song!
At one of the performances, when Jerry Lee Lewis performed this song, he set fire to his piano, which gave a great real visualization of the fire. Chuck Berry was in shock, because Jerry had to warm up the audience for him. And he overcooked it!
Achievements
The song became a hit number 2 in the States, in England it took the honorable first line! Circulation - one million copies! For the 57th year, this is an excellent result!
The singer's grandiose success was prevented by a scandal. In 1958, the press discovered that he had married a minor. The girl was 13 years old! He was accused of pedophilia. Oh, and by the way, the wife was the cousin of bassist Lewis. Here is such a turn!
His songs were immediately blacklisted. He was expelled from England, and in his homeland he was banned on all radio stations. Sales also dropped. The singer's career took a "time out" on this. In the 71st, Lewis returned again, but in a different role.
He is still alive, and sets the heat for the young! Now he performs country music, well, his old hits! He is a living legend of the wild 50s!
