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1975 single by John Fogerty

For the Status Quo album, see Rockin` All Over the World (album).

"Rockin` All Over the World" is a rock song written by John Fogerty, formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival. It made its debut on Fogerty`s second solo album in 1975. It was also released as a single, spending six weeks in the US top 40, peaking at #27.[2]

Status Quo recorded their own, heavier arrangement of Fogerty`s song for their 1977 album Rockin` All Over the World. The cover peaked at #3 in the UK Singles Chart and also charted in several other countries. In July 1985, Status Quo opened Live Aid at Wembley Stadium with "Rockin` All Over the World".[3] Fogerty has given the cover a positive appraisal, occasionally making joking reference to it as the better-known version in introducing the song at UK gigs, and has talked about how the success of Status Quo`s version came during a "very dark period" in his life and "made [him] feel much better". In an interview with Uncut magazine, he said that "it`s wonderful to have a cover that`s much better known than the original" and stated that he didn`t mind that many people mistakenly believed that Status Quo wrote the song.[4]

Reception

Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh considered the song a good choice for the album`s lead single, although he claimed that it was "little more than the formulaic CCR sound with the title repeated over and over, like a chant."[5] Billboard exclaimed "Good news for rock and roll fans. John Fogerty is back, capturing all the deceptively simple magic frantic feel that made Creedence a groundbreaking rock group in the `60s," praising the vocals, instrumentals and the title.[6] Cash Box said that "every kid in town should sit up and take note of the simple drive, and cut out all that complicated crud."[7]

Status Quo version

During the recording of Status Quo`s music video to the song, bassist Alan Lancaster was living in Australia. He had refused to return to the UK for the recording, so he was replaced by a dummy with a bass guitar in the video. Quo`s version was their 8th UK top ten hit, peaking at #3.

At Live Aid, Status Quo began their set (and thus the event itself, as they were the opening band) with "Rockin` All Over the World" which first became an unofficial anthem for the event when the BBC used it to advertise their TV coverage. Coldplay performed a portion of the song at Live 8, with lead singer Chris Martin singing the chorus during the song "In My Place", after much was made of Status Quo`s absence from the concert in the British media.

The song has found widespread usage in the sports world. In 1988, to support Sport Aid, Status Quo re-recorded the song as "Running All Over the World" with slightly amended lyrics. It reached #17 in the UK Singles Chart. In the 21st century, Status Quo`s 1977 rendition has become both an anthem of English football and European football more broadly, including as German side Bayer Leverkusen`s post-goal track (a song played over the PA system whenever a goal is scored by the home team).[10] The song is played over the PA system after England international matches, to which the crowd sings along. It is also popular as a crowd chant, with both original and modified lyrics, at various clubs around England, including Arsenal[11] (modified, "Saka and Emile Smith Rowe"), Millwall[12][13] (original) and Wrexham (modified, "Super Ben Foster In Goal").[14] The song was also adapted by England and Manchester United women`s teams fans as "Tooney and Lessi Russo". Following Alessia Russo`s transfer to Arsenal, Ella Toone admitted that she was upset to hear the chant modified as "Lotte and Lessi Russo" when Manchester United faced Arsenal.[15] Bolton Wanderers uses the song whenever the home team wins their matches at home. A portion of the song was played in the background music of the episode of the ITV Sport show English Football League Highlights when Katie Shanahan was presenting a match between Millwall and Sunderland.

Another re-recorded version by Status Quo - a cover of the original 1977 record - appeared on their album Riffs in 2003. The song was reprised once again, in 2014, for Status Quo`s thirty-first studio album, Aquostic (Stripped Bare), as an acoustic arrangement. It was featured in the ninety-minute launch performance of the album at London`s Roundhouse on 22 October, the concert being recorded and broadcast live by BBC Radio 2 as part of their In Concert series.[16][17]

Weekly charts

Certifications