For the most part, before Jerry Lee Lewis arrived, the piano was something that could provide an energetic texture to a piece of music but it typically was not used as something that was so propulsive as to possibly negate the presence of a bass drum. Lewis was initially billed as “Jerry Lee Lewis And His Pumping Piano” by Sun Records, which of course sounds ridiculous and kind of perverted, even nowadays. But it does cut right to it: the way that Lewis played piano—especially within the rockabilly genre—was kind of groundbreaking and deserving of its own moniker. He did not merely play the piano, he enthusiastically and gleefully took it to its limits. Do an image search for Jerry Lee Lewis and seemingly every fifth or sixth picture shows him standing up playing his piano while his top-heavy, curly hair is disheveled at odd angles, looking like a man who could possibly do to the piano what Pete Townshend did to the guitar after a live performance.
There was something about Jerry Lee Lewis that exuded recklessness and a raw, wild-at-heart energy that separated him from almost every other popular musician of that time. Little Richard was energetic, to be sure, at the helm of his piano but his presence seemed more like a controlled animation—almost like a precursor to Prince. Lewis, on the other hand, was like an amalgamation of an old-time saloon piano player, a punk, and a hyperactive child—almost like a precursor to John Lydon (but with a religious background, and minus the asshole bravado).
It all seems so sanitized and dated now, but Lewis was kind of a groundbreaking artist in terms of chipping away at our society’s taboos. He was wildly sexual in terms of the perceptions of people living in the late ’50′s.[1] Again, it seems so benign now, but a song like Lewis’ cover of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” probably raised a lot of eyebrows when it was released. It probably raised a lot of eyebrows that a song with that title became the #1 song on the R&B and country charts. Sun Records founder Sam Philips even thought it would be too risky to release on the radio.
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” is a classic example of the conundrum involving how to separate the artist from the art. As a person, Lewis made some questionable decisions in his life and it ultimately cost him his career. As a musician who produced songs, Jerry Lee Lewis is one of the most important figures in American music. He completely changed the rules of the rockabilly genre, and he added an energy to country music that no one had really ever thought to add. But, again, as a person, what he did was pretty despicable: he had sex with a child.[2]
As for his music, you could probably flip a coin between “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls Of Fire” as to which song is more deserving of entrance in to the Pantheon. I am going with the former because I think that “Great Balls Of Fire” is a little too theatrical, a little too over-the-top. “Whole Lotta Shakin’,” on the other hand, has a great, fluid beginning and the idea to slow the song down so that it can end with a flourish is a great touch.
At the end of the day is it fair that Jerry Lee Lewis is essentially defined by a couple of songs and that he married his second cousin who was 13 years old? Probably, yes. Is the rhythm and the music and the genius of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” enough to overshadow Lewis’ personal life choices? Maybe not in the overall scheme of things. But as far as a music Pantheon goes, it is impossible to leave him out.
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[1] Actually, the part about marrying a 13 year-old second cousin is still pretty taboo.
[2] Please don’t misinterpret the previous sentence as evidence that I am trying to be a judge of all morality and character. It’s just that it needs to be pointed out, like what Roman Polanski did needs to be pointed out whenever a discussion about him arises (even though the two situations have completely different circumstances).
