"Rock and Roll Lullaby" is a 1972 hit single performed by

B. J. Thomas Billy Joe Thomas (August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021) was an American singer widely known for his country, contemporary Christian, and pop hits of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Popular songs by Thomas include " Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), " Rain ...

. It was written by

Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and was part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early ...

and

Cynthia Weil Cynthia Weil (October 18, 1940 – June 1, 2023) was an American songwriter who wrote many songs together with her husband Barry Mann. Weil and Mann were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987, and in 2011, they jointly received the ...

and appeared on his album ''Billy Joe Thomas''.

Song lyrics

The song is sung in a first-person narrative of an adolescent or adult raised by a single teenage mother during the early years of rock-and-roll. Despite the bleakness of their situation, whenever the child cries, the mother sings him to sleep with a 'sha-na-na-na-na-na-na, it'll be all right...sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na, just hold on tight'. In the second verse, the narrator notes that despite hardships, they'd 'dream of better mornings when Mama sang her song', and that while it didn't make sense to try to recall the words, the loving meaning beneath them was all that mattered.

Production

The song was produced by

Steve Tyrell Steve Tyrell (born Stephen Louis Bilao III, December 19, 1944) is an American singer and record producer. He won a 2004 Grammy Award as the producer of the Rod Stewart studio album '' Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III''. He also h ...

. After the recording of a basic rhythm track, Steve Tyrell and B. J. Thomas had the inspiration of blending several unique and recognizable signature sounds associated with early American rock recordings. The single's backup vocals are first performed by

the Blossoms The Blossoms were an American girl group that originated from California. During their height of success in the 1960s, the group's lineup consisted of Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Jean King. Although the group had a recording career in th ...

Duane Eddy Duane Eddy (April 26, 1938 – April 30, 2024) was an American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" guitar sound, including ...

plays the lead guitar in his "twangy" signature style with

Al Gorgoni Al Gorgoni (born 1939) is an American guitarist, composer, arranger, and producer, known for his work as a studio musician during the 1960s and 1970s. Biography Growing up in Philadelphia, his family moved to The Bronx where he took up the guit ...

electric guitar distorted and clean. At around three minutes, Thomas sings his final vocals, and a Beach Boys sound (provided by

Dave Somerville David Troy Somerville (October 2, 1933 – July 14, 2015) was a Canadian singer best known as the co-founder, and original lead singer, of The Diamonds, one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1950s. Biography Born in Guelph, Ontario, So ...

and three members of

the Ron Hicklin Singers The Ron Hicklin Singers were a group of Los Angeles studio singers contracted and organized by Ron Hicklin. They are mostly known as the real singers behind the background vocals on The Partridge Family recordings. In Los Angeles studio circles ...

: Tom Bahler, Gene Morford & Hicklin) begins then carries the track to over 4 minutes.

Personnel

* Lead vocals:

* Backing vocals:

The Blossoms The Blossoms were an American girl group that originated from California. During their height of success in the 1960s, the group's lineup consisted of Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Jean King. Although the group had a recording career in th ...

(

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), also known by the stage name Darlene Love, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and also a solo recording artist. She began singing as a ch ...

, Fanita James &

Jean King Jean Sadako King (née McKillop; born December 6, 1925 – November 24, 2013) was the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, seventh lieutenant governor of Hawaii, the state's first woman to be elected as such, from 1978 to 1982 in the Public administr ...

) with

Ron Hicklin The Ron Hicklin Singers were a group of Los Angeles studio singers contracted and organized by Ron Hicklin. They are mostly known as the real singers behind the background vocals on The Partridge Family recordings. In Los Angeles studio circles ...

Tom Bahler Thomas Lee Bahler (also spelled Bähler; ; born June 1, 1943) is an American singer, composer, songwriter, arranger, producer and author. Bahler is most known for his song "She's Out of My Life", which was recorded by Michael Jackson; the song was ...

& Gene Morford * Acoustic guitar:

& Teddy Irwin * Electric guitar:

(fuzztone) &

(signature twang) * Electric piano:

* Drums: Alan Schwartzenberg * Percussion: Dave Cary & George Devens * Strings arranged by Glen Spreen * Produced by

Chart performance

"Rock and Roll Lullaby" reached number 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and was the third number one for Thomas on the

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

chart, where it spent one week in March 1972.

Popular culture

* The song was a hit in Brazil because of its appearance as a love theme in the soap opera '' Selva de Pedra''.

References