"Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" is a 1974 song written by

Norman Dolph Norman Dolph (May 11, 1939 – May 11, 2022) was an American songwriter, painter, music industry executive and entrepreneur. He is most known for producing the first recordings of the rock band The Velvet Underground while a sales executive ...

(lyrics) and Paul DiFranco (music). It was recorded by an ad hoc group of studio

musicians A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who ...

called Reunion, with Joey Levine as lead singer. The

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer ...

are a fast patter of 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s disc jockeys, musicians, songwriters, record labels, song titles and lyrics, broken only by the chorus. Levine had previously been lead singer and co-writer of bubblegum music hits " Yummy Yummy Yummy" and "Chewy Chewy" by the Ohio Express. "Life Is a Rock" peaked at No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and reached No. 33 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The song's outro quotes " Baby I Need Your Loving" by

The Four Tops ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

, " Celebrate" by Three Dog Night, " I Want to Take You Higher" by Sly and the Family Stone, and " Uptight (Everything's Alright)" by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

. The track was later

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

by Tracey Ullman in 1983, and was featured in her 1984 album, '' You Broke My Heart in 17 Places''.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Covers

The song was remade by Randy Crenshaw and released on 2001 Disney album ''Mickey's Dance Party'' under the name "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me...Again!)" The remake includes references not only to current and past music groups, but also to TV shows and internet slang, and some Disney characters. A customized version of the song: "Life Is a Rock, but 'CFL Rolled Me" was the last

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

song played on the

Larry Lujack Larry Lujack (born Larry Lee Blankenburg; June 6, 1940 – December 18, 2013), also called Superjock, Lawrence of Chicago, Uncle Lar, and King of the Corn Belt, was a Top 40 music radio disc jockey who was well known for his world-weary sarcastic ...

show on WCFL in Chicago on March 15, 1976, before the station switched from

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "conte ...

beautiful music Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator m ...

format. Rival AM station WLS had their own rendition: "Life Is a Rock, WLS Rolled Me". This was the first song played on

WLS-FM WLS-FM (94.7 MHz) is a commercial classic hits radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area, and is the radio home of Dave Fogel. The WLS-FM studios are locate ...

when the famous callsign returned to the station in 2008, airing a

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 198 ...

format. In 1974, radio station KFRC in San Francisco also aired a specially tailored take on the song: "Life Is a Rock, but KFRC Rolled Me" with an extra verse naming all of the station's then-current personalities. The verse was sung by KFRC's afternoon personality, Chuck Buell. 980, WRC in Washington, DC also had a personalized version that was played on the air (this actually was common among the big

AMs of the day with special copies cut for their station). Tracey Ullman recorded a cover that was included on her first album '' You Broke My Heart in 17 Places'' in 1983. In 1988

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold ...

produced a jingle heavily influenced by the song for its " $1,000,000 Menu Song" promotion. The McDonald's recording, with an identical melody and a rapidly spoken list of menu offerings recited in an identical monotone pitch and rhythm, was released as a mass giveaway in the form of a 33-1/3 RPM flexible plastic single.Photo
of McDonald's $1,000,000 Menu Song (1988).)

Name checks

* B. Bumble and the Stingers * Mott the Hoople * Ray Charles Singers *

Lonnie Mack Lonnie McIntosh (July 18, 1941 – April 21, 2016), known as Lonnie Mack, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was an influential trailblazer of blues rock music and rock guitar soloing. Mack emerged in 1963 with his breakthrough ...

* Twangin' Eddy * "Here's my ring, we're going steady" * "

Take It Easy "Take It Easy" is the debut single by the American rock band Eagles, written by Jackson Browne and Eagles band member Glenn Frey, who also provides lead vocals. It was released on May 1, 1972, and peaked at No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...

" * " I Want to Take You Higher" * " Liar, Liar" * " The Loco-Motion" * Poco * Deep Purple * " (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" * Sam Cooke * Lesley Gore * Ritchie Valens * Mahavishnu Orchestra * " Fujiyama" *

Kama Sutra The ''Kama Sutra'' (; sa, कामसूत्र, , ; ) is an ancient Indian Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism and emotional fulfillment in life. Attributed to Vātsyāyana, the ''Kama Sutra'' is neither exclusively nor predominantly ...

* "

Rama Lama Ding Dong Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...

" * Richard Perry *

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

* Jeff Barry * The Righteous Brothers * The Archies *

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...

* " Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko Ko Bop" * '' Fats Is Back'' * "

Finger Poppin' Time "Finger Poppin' Time" is a song written by Hank Ballard and performed by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters. It reached #2 on the U.S. R&B chart and #7 on the U.S. pop chart in 1960. It was featured on their 1960 album ''Mr. Rhythm and Blues''. ...

" * Friends and Romans * Brenda & the Tabulations * Carly Simon * Noddy Holder * ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' *

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American Country music, country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later s ...

* Johnny Rivers *

Mungo Jerry Mungo Jerry are a British rock band, formed by Ray Dorset in Ashford, Middlesex in 1970. Experiencing their greatest success in the early 1970s, with a changing lineup always fronted by Ray Dorset, the group's biggest hit was " In the Summerti ...

Peter, Paul and Mary Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Paul Stookey, and contralto Mary Travers. The group's repe ...

* " Mary, Mary" * Dr. John *

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer ...

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...

* Shelter Records * "

Gimme Shelter "Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. Released as the opening track from band's 1969 album '' Let It Bleed''. The song covers topics of war, murder, rape and fear. It features prominent guest vocals by American si ...

" * Smokey Robinson and the Miracles * Slide guitar * Fender bass * Bonnie Bramlett * Wilson Pickett * Arthur Janov * '' The Primal Scream'' * Screamin' Jay Hawkins * Dale Hawkins * Ronnie Hawkins * Kukla, Fran and Ollie *

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma C ...

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

* Donny Osmond * J. J. Cale *

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature so ...

* L.L. Bean * "

DeDe Dinah "DeDe Dinah" is a song written by Peter De Angelis and Bob Marcucci and performed by Frankie Avalon. The song reached #7 on the ''Billboard'' Top 100 and #8 on the R&B chart in 1958. The song appeared on his 1958 album, ''Frankie Avalon''. The s ...

" *

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

* Steely Dan * "

CC Rider CC, cc, or C-C may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * C.C. (''Code Geass''), a character in the ''Code Geass'' anime series, pronounced "C-two" * C.C. Babcock, a character in the American sitcom ''The Nanny'' * Com ...

" * Edgar Winter * Joanie Sommers * Osmond Brothers * Johnny Thunders * Eric Clapton *

Wah-wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of electric guitar effects pedal that alters the tone and frequencies of the guitar signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The p ...

* Stephen Foster * " Camptown Races" * " Good Vibrations" * "

Help Me Rhonda "Help Me, Rhonda" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys, appearing first on their 1965 album ''The Beach Boys Today!'' (where it was spelled "Help Me, Ronda") and subsequently in re-recorded form on the following 1965 album ''Summer Day ...

" * " Surfer Girl" * " Little Honda" * " Tighter, Tighter" * " Honey, Honey" * " Sugar, Sugar" * " Yummy Yummy Yummy" * CBS * Warner Bros. *

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westin ...

("...and all the others") * " Remember (Walking in the Sand)" * Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots *

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout N ...

* Murray the K * The Fish * The Swim * " The Boston Monkey" The 45-rpm single version fades out here. The extended album version continues, with the following references: *

Freddie King Freddie King (September 3, 1934December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and B.B. King, none of whom were blood related). Mo ...

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps ...

* B.B. King * Felix Pappalardi *

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo ...

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern-accented singing style, early Americana-influenced songs (often with mordant or satirical lyrics), and vari ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

* Tito Puente * Boffalongo *

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

* War * California * Beatlemania * New York City *

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the ...

* S&G * Bobby Vee * '' SRO'' *

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

* " Do Wah Diddy Diddy" Performed as medley or spoken over the fade-out: * " Baby I Need Your Loving" by

* " Uptight (Everything's Alright)" by

* " Celebrate" by Three Dog Night * " I Want to Take You Higher" by

Sly & the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and mult ...

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
* {{authority control 1974 singles 1974 songs RCA Victor singles List songs Patter songs Songs about rock music Songs about radio Joey Levine songs Songs written by Joey Levine Novelty songs