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"Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)"
Single by Kevin Johnson
from the album Rock 'N' Roll I Gave You the Best Years of My Life
B-side"Mohair Sam" (Australia)
"There's Nothing I'd Rather Do" (U.S.)
ReleasedNovember 1973
Recorded1973
GenrePop Rock, Soft Rock, Easy Listening
Length5:20
LabelNova Records, Good Thyme, Mainstream Records
Songwriter(s)Kevin Johnson
Producer(s)Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson singles chronology
"All Our Favourite Songs"
(1971) 		"Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)"
(1973) 		"Kedron Brook"
(1974)
Official audio
"Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)" on YouTube
"Rock 'N' Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)"
Single by Mac Davis
from the album All the Love in the World
B-side"Emily Suzanne"
ReleasedDecember 1974
GenrePop Rock, Soft Rock, Easy Listening
Length3:25
Label Columbia Records
Songwriter(s) Kevin Johnson
Producer(s)Gary Klein
Mac Davis singles chronology
" Stop and Smell the Roses"
(1974) 		"Rock 'N' Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)"
(1974) 		"(If You Add) All the Love in the World"
(1975)
"Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)"
Single by Terry Jacks
from the album Y' Don't Fight the Sea
B-side"The Love Game"
Released1975
GenrePop, Soft Rock, Easy Listening
Length3:39
Label Bell / Goldfish
Songwriter(s) Kevin Johnson
Producer(s)Terry Jacks
Terry Jacks singles chronology
" If You Go Away"
(1974) 		"Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)"
(1975) 		""Christina""
(1975)

"Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)" is a 1973 song written and originally performed by Australian singer Kevin Johnson, most famously covered by American singer Mac Davis.

Johnson's version reached number four in Australia. The guitar solo in Johnson's version was played by Rory O'Donoghue.
In Australia, Ireland and Great Britain, it was only Johnson's original version which charted.

Mac Davis cover version

In the United States it was Mac Davis who had the primary hit version in 1974, although three versions of the song became American chart hits. His version reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Rock 'N' Roll" is the first track on his sixth studio album All the Love in the World. The song was the lead single of two issued from the LP, the other being the title track, and both of which became hit records.[ citation needed]

The Cats cover version

The Dutch band The Cats released a version in the Netherlands in 1973 on EMI Nederland. The song made to #3 on the Dutch charts Single Top 100 and Dutch Top 40.

Terry Jacks cover version

In Canada Terry Jacks got it into the charts in 1975. It also made it to number 97 on Billboard Hot 100. His version appeared in Y' Don't Fight the Sea and was a bonus song appearing in his 1974 album Seasons in the Sun.

Other cover versions

New Zealand's very popular singer Craig Scott covered the song in 1974, reaching #13. [1] [2]

In 1977 Gary Glitter recorded a version on his album Silver Star. (His version is now banned from TV and from radio airplay)

Over the years there have been recorded versions by other artists, these include Albert West, Digby Richards, and Samuel Neely.

In 1973 Joe Dassin recorded Les plus belles années de ma vie (The best years of my life), a French cover.

In 1975 Peter Belli recorded a Danish cover, called Rock'N'Roll, Jeg Gav Dig Mine Aller Bedste År (Rock'n Roll, All My Best Years).

In 1976 Brimkló recorded an Icelandic cover, called Rock'n Roll, Öll Mín Bestu Ár (Rock'n Roll, All My Best Years).

In 1975 Esko Rahkonen recorded a Finnish cover, called Rock'n'Roll sen teit (Rock'n'Roll You Did It). The same version was recorded also by Kai Hyttinen, also in 1975. The Finnish lyrics were written by Veikko 'Vexi' Salmi.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Kevin Johnson original
Chart (1973–74) Peak
position
Australia ( Go-Set) 4
Germany [3] 47
Ireland ( IRMA) [4] 8
UK ( The Official Charts Company) [1] 23
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [5] 73
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 43
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [6] 90
Chart (1975) Peak
position
Ireland ( IRMA) [4] 18
The Cats cover
Chart (1973–74) Peak
position
Belgium Flanders Top 30 (Belgium) 15
Netherlands Single Top 100 3
Netherlands Dutch Top 40 [7] 3
Craig Scott cover
Chart (1974) Peak
position
New Zealand [1] 13
Terry Jacks cover
Mac Davis cover

References

  1. ^ a b c Pop Archives
  2. ^ "Shazam". Shazam.com.
  3. ^ "charts.nz - Kevin Johnson - Rock And Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)". Charts.nz.
  4. ^ a b " The Irish Charts – Search Results – Rock N' Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN  0-89820-089-X
  6. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 11/24/73". Tropicalglen.com.
  7. ^ Top 40, Stichting Nederlandse. "The Cats - Rock & Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)". Top40.nl.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link)
  8. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1974-12-14. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  9. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 12/14/74". Tropicalglen.com.
  10. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca.
  11. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1975-02-01. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  12. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 72.
  13. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 99.
  14. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN  0-89820-142-X.

External links

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