About the Song
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” is a rock and roll classic, originally written by Dave “Curlee” Williams and sometimes credited to James Faye “Roy” Hall. Although first recorded by Big Maybelle, it was Jerry Lee Lewis’s 1957 version that cemented the song’s legendary status in rock and roll history.
Lewis recorded the track during his second session at Sun Records in February 1957, under the guidance of producer Jack Clement. Lewis transformed the song with his dynamic boogie-woogie piano style, backed by J.M. Van Eaton’s spirited drumming and Roland Janes’s subdued guitar work. The recording also featured Lewis’s signature suggestive ad-libs, adding a raw and energetic edge to the track.
Jack Clement recalled encouraging Lewis to embrace the emerging rock and roll sound, famously saying:
“We don’t do much country around here. We’re in the rock & roll business. You ought to go home and work up some rock & roll numbers.”
Despite initial doubts from Sam Phillips, who worried the song was too risqué for mainstream audiences, Lewis was confident about its potential. As he later put it:
“I knew it was a hit when I cut it. If that’s risqué, well, I’m sorry.”
Success and Legacy
Released by Sun Records, the single became a smash hit, reaching:
- No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100
- No. 1 on the R&B charts
- No. 1 on the country charts
- No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart
Music writer Robert Gordon noted how the song highlighted Lewis’s charisma and stage presence:
“Jerry Lee began to show that in this new emerging genre called rock ‘n’ roll, not everybody was going to stand there with a guitar.”
Critics and historians have praised Lewis’s rendition as a defining rockabilly anthem:
- Cub Koda, music critic, called it a “rock & roll classic.”
- Charles L. Ponce de Leon, scholar, described it as “perhaps the quintessential rockabilly anthem.”
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it the 61st greatest song of all time, and in 2005, it was added to the National Recording Registry
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” remains an iconic example of Jerry Lee Lewis’s electrifying talent and a milestone in rock and roll history.
Come on over, baby, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Yes I said come on over, baby, baby, you can’t go wrong
We ain’t fakin’ a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Well, I said come on over, baby, we got chicken in the barn
Come on over, baby, babe, I got the bull by the horns
We ain’t fakin’, a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Well, shake, baby, shake
I said shake, baby, shake
I said shake it, baby, shake it
Well shake, baby, shake
Come on over, whole lot of shakin goin’ on
Ah let’s go
Well, come over, baby, we got chicken in the barn
Whose barn, what barn, my barn
Come on over, baby, better got your bull by the horn
We ain’t fakin’, whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on
Easy now
Shake it, oh, shake it, baby
Yeah, you can shake one time for me
Well, I said on come over, baby, whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on
Now let’s get real low one time now
Shake, baby, shake
All you gotta, honey, is kinda stand in one spot
Wiggle around just a little bit
That’s what you gotta do, yeah
Ooh, babe, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Now let’s go one time
Shake it, babe, shake it
Shake it, babe, shake
Shake it, babe, come on, babe
Shake it, babe, shake it
Come on over, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
