MatR: Bruce Springsteen and Jerry Lee Lewis: Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On

It must be Rockabilly Week here on the Shuffle: A few days ago, we listened to the E Street Band channel Jerry Lee Lewis on “TV Movie;” today, we’ll check out a time they shared a stage together.

“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” may not be Lewis’ greatest hit (his follow-up single would earn that distinction), but it was his first one. Released in the spring of 1957 and topping both the Billboard R&B and Country charts (it peaked at #3 on the Hot 100), the risque “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” made Lewis an instant celebrity.

It’s not the studio version of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” that got the most attention, though–it was Lewis’ legendary television debut on the Steve Allen show that summer. Lewis rose to the occasion–literally–kicking away his piano stool, headbanging, and introducing on-stage theatrics that rockers would make their own for years to come.

I almost feel bad for including that clip–it’s such a seminal moment in rock and roll that any performance from 30+ years later is going to pale in comparison. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Bruce Springsteen has covered several of Lewis’ songs over the years, but he’s mostly stayed away from “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” never once performing it in concert with himself as the lead vocalist.

He did, however, play it with The Killer himself–twice, in fact–in the mid-nineties, although it’s fairer to say that Bruce supported Lewis rather than teamed up with him, since Bruce was content to stay in the background for both performances.

By that time, Lewis was approaching the age of 60, and the years had slowed him down a bit. Still, Lewis was one of Bruce’s rock and roll heroes, and Bruce seemed thrilled at the opportunity to share the stage with him when their paths intersected in Dublin in the spring of 1993.

As for Lewis, he was very complementary of his younger host, lavishing praise upon him before launching into his first hit at around the four-minute mark below.

Unfortunately, while it’s tough to compare any modern performance to Lewis at his heyday, that particular performance seemed a bit plodding.

Bruce and Jerry Lee got another chance at it a couple of years later in the summer of ’95 at the inaugural concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. But while that performance was considerably better than their 1993 attempt (perhaps the E Street Band was a better fit for the song than Bruce’s 1992-93 touring band), as an E Street Band performance it was positively sedate.

Fans expected more from the pairing of legendary talent, but that night is remembered more for its ego-driven drama, both pre-show and on-stage. Chuck Berry’s antics get most of the attention in recounts, but Lewis and Berry were notoriously life-long rivals, and Lewis reportedly did not take well to Bruce and Chuck opening the show, with Lewis following. Bruce and the band were not feeling the moment that night, and it shows in their performance

Curiously, Bruce and the E Street Band actually served as backing band for both Berry and Lewis for one night when the two pioneers toured together back in 1973–so long ago that the E Street Band hadn’t even been named yet. Bruce recalled that night in a Chuck Berry documentary:

There’s no indication whether either Berry or Lewis recalled that night two decades later, but their performances that night in 1995 might be ones the E Street Band would prefer to forget.

Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
First performed: July 17, 1982 (Red Bank, NJ)
Last performed: November 6, 2004 (Asbury Park, NJ)