Promised Land (Chuck Berry song)

"Promised Land" is a song lyric written by Chuck Berry to the melody of "Wabash Cannonball", an American folk song. The song was first recorded in this version by Chuck Berry in 1964 for his album St. Louis to Liverpool. Released in December, 1964, it was Berry's first single issued following his prison term for a Mann Act conviction. The record peaked at #41 in the Billboard charts on January 16, 1965.

For the Bruce Springsteen song, see The Promised Land (Bruce Springsteen song). For the song by Vesuvius, see The Rocker (film) § Promotion.
"Promised Land"
Single by Chuck Berry
from the album St. Louis to Liverpool
ReleasedDecember 1964
GenreRock and roll
Length2:24
LabelChess Records
Songwriter(s)Chuck Berry
Producer(s)Leonard Chess, Philip Chess

In the lyrics, the singer (who refers to himself as "the poor boy") tells of his journey from Norfolk, Virginia, to the "Promised Land", Los Angeles, California, mentioning various cities in Southern states that he passes through on his journey. It has subsequently been performed by numerous other artists, notably the Grateful Dead.

Chart history
Chart (1964–65) Peak
position
Canada RPM Top Singles[1] 30
UK [2] 26
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 41
U.S. Billboard R&B 41
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[4] 35

Background

Berry wrote the song while in prison, and borrowed an atlas from the prison library to plot the itinerary. Describing himself as a "poor boy," the protagonist boards a Greyhound bus in Norfolk, Virginia that passes Raleigh, N.C., stops in Charlotte, North Carolina, and bypasses Rock Hill, South Carolina. The bus rolls out of Atlanta but breaks down, leaving him stranded in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. He then takes a train "across Mississippi clean" to New Orleans. From there, he goes to Houston, where "the people there who care a bit about me" buy him a silk suit, luggage and a plane ticket to Los Angeles. Upon landing in Los Angeles, he calls Norfolk, Virginia ("Tidewater four, ten-oh-nine") to tell the folks back home he made it to the "promised land." The lyric: "Swing low sweet chariot, come down easy/Taxi to the terminal zone" refers to the gospel lyric: "Swing low sweet Chariot, coming for to carry me Home" since both refer to a common destination, "The Promised Land," which in this case is California, reportedly a heaven on earth.

Elvis Presley version
"Promised Land"
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Promised Land
B-side"It’s Midnight"
ReleasedSeptember 27, 1974 (single); January 8, 1975 (album)
RecordedDecember 15–16, 1973
StudioStax Studios, Memphis, TN
GenreRock and roll, country rock
Length2:54
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Chuck Berry
Producer(s)Felton Jarvis
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"If You Talk in Your Sleep"
(1974)		 "Promised Land"
(1974)		 "My Boy (song)"
(1975)

In December 1973, Elvis Presley recorded a powerful, driving version. Presley's version of "Promised Land" was released as a single on September 27, 1974. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard charts and 9 on the UK Singles Chart in the fall of 1974.[5] It was included on his 1975 album Promised Land. The Presley version was used in the soundtrack of the 1997 motion picture Men in Black.

Personnel

Other versions

There are numerous other versions of this song:

Johnny Hallyday version (in French)
"La Terre promise"
Single by Johnny Hallyday
Released1975 (1975) (France)
LabelPhilips
Johnny Hallyday singles chronology
"La Fille de l'été dernier"
(1975)		 "La Terre promise"
(1975)		 "Requiem pour un fou"
(1976)
Music video
"La Terre promise" (INA archive, 1975) on YouTube

The song was covered in French by Johnny Hallyday, using an adaptation of Presley’s arrangement. His version (titled "La Terre promise") was released in 1975 and spent one week at no. 1 on the singles sales chart in France (from November 1 to 7, 1975).[10]

Charts
Chart (1975) Peak
position
France (singles sales)[10] 1

References
  1. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  2. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  3. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  4. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, January 16, 1965
  5. 2nd to None (Media notes). Elvis Presley. Columbia Records. 2003.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. "The SetList Program - Grateful Dead Setlists, Listener Experiences, and Statistics". Setlists.net. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  7. "Grateful Dead Family Discography - The Promised Land". deaddisc.com. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  8. "Covered Berries". Official Chuck Berry Website. Archived from the original on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  9. "Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction on LP". musicdirect.com. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  10. "La Terre promise - Johnny Hallyday - Hit-Parade.net". Retrieved 2017-11-13.
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