Rock and Roll (Gary Glitter song)

"Rock and Roll" is a song by English glam rock singer Gary Glitter that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter. It was co-written by Glitter and Mike Leander. The song is in two parts: Part 1 is a vocal track and Part 2 is a mostly instrumental piece. Both parts were popular in Britain, and the single went to No. 2 on the British charts. In concert, Glitter merged both into one performance.

"Rock and Roll" is Glitter's only top 10 hit in the U.S. It was also in North America that the "Part 2" became popularly associated with sports, as a number of professional teams began to play the song during games.

Due to Glitter's convictions for sex offences, the song's continued use has been controversial.[1][2][3]

In the UK, "Rock and Roll" was one of over 25 hit singles for Glitter. In the US, the instrumental version (Part 2) attracted most of the attention; it hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2019, "Rock and Roll Part 2" appeared in Todd Phillips' movie Joker as Arthur dances down a staircase.[4] According to the Los Angeles Times, Glitter does not receive payment when the song is used as he has sold the rights, and the US rights to the song are now owned by Universal Music Publishing Group.[5]

References

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  1. ↑ "Column: Why did NFL muzzle Gary Glitter?". Yahoo! Music. 2006-09-15. Retrieved 2008-08-20.[permanent dead link]
  2. ↑ "Why Convicted Child-Sex Offender Gary Glitter's 'Hey Song' Is Still Getting Played". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  3. ↑ "NFL bosses ban Gary Glitter's 'Rock And Roll Part II' from the Super Bowl". NME. 2012-02-02. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  4. ↑ Meredith, Sam (October 7, 2019). "Convicted pedophile Gary Glitter set to earn big royalties from 'Joker' movie". CNBC. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  5. ↑ Appleford, Steve (11 October 2019). "Will a convicted pedophile make a fortune from a 'Joker' song?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 October 2019.