1956
TOO MUCH MONKEY BUSINESS * CHUCK BERRY * CHESS 1635 * USA
The sharp, jangling opening guitar riff sets the tempo, but, more importantly, the angry vibe for this killer rap, and lyrically, Chuck Berry pulls no punches on this his most trenchant of social critiques. Never issued in the UK as a 45 Too Much Monkey Business was recorded in Chicago, April 16, 1956 and released in September of that year, it was his fifth single for the Chess label. The song reflects the mundane and the ordinary trials and tribulations in the life of the average person succinctly and with so much genuine empathy that at the end of one verse he is so taken with the anger and frustration personified in the lyrics he utters a glorious, angry "Ahhhhhhhhhhh".
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