Rumble (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Rumble


Cover size =
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Artist = Link Wray & His Ray Men
from Album =
A-side =
B-side =
Released = April 1958
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Genre = Rock and roll
Length = 2:25
Label = Cadence
1347
Writer = Milt Grant/Link Wray
Producer =
Certification =
Chart position = * #16 Pop
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Misc ="Rumble" is an influential [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:6227gjlrj6i9~T1 AllMusic's Link Wray Biography] ] rock instrumental by Link Wray & His Ray Men. Originally released in 1958, "Rumble" utilized then-unexplored techniques like distortion and feedback. It is also described as the first song to use the power chord [Zitz, Michael. Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, VA. [http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/122005/12202005/154278 "Fredericksburg Offered up Fertile Spot for Rock's Roots"] December 20, 2005.] , the "major modus operandi of [the] modern rock guitarist".

At a live gig in Fredericksburg, Virginia, attempting to work up a backing for The Diamonds' "The Stroll," Link Wray and his Ray Men came up with the stately, powerful blues instrumental "Rumble," which they originally called "Oddball." The song was an instant hit with the live audience, which demanded four repeats that night.

Eventually the song came to the attention of record producer Archie Bleyer of Cadence Records, who hated it, particularly after Wray poked holes in his amplifier's speakers to make the recording sound more like the live version. However, Bleyer's stepdaughter loved it and it was released despite his protest. She was the one who suggested renaming the song "Rumble," because it reminded her of "West Side Story."

The song is a 12-bar blues instrumental played by a combination of two electric guitars, an electric bass guitar, and drum set. It was banned in several radio markets because the term "rumble" was a slang term for a gang fight, and it was feared that the song's harsh sound glorified "juvenile delinquency." [ [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/8855802/guitarist_link_wray_dies Rolling Stone Obituary] ] Nevertheless it became a huge hit, not only in the United States where it climbed to number sixteen on the charts in the summer of 1958, [ [http://www.tsimon.com/wray.htm Link Wray and His Ray Men] ] but also in Great Britain, where it has been cited as an influence on the The Who, among others. Instrumentals were far more common on the Top 40 in the 1950s than in later years.

It is featured in the films "Pulp Fiction," "Independence Day," and "Blow."

"Rumble" is melodically characterized by a descending e-minor pentatonic scale played in triplets against the straight eights chords. The scale is played in first position on the guitar and while not original to "Rumble", is a staple of blues and rock guitar playing.

References