“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” (sometimes rendered as “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On”) is a dynamic and electrifying song written by Dave “Curlee” Williams and occasionally credited to James Faye “Roy” Hall. Although originally first recorded by the legendary Big Maybelle, the song eternally belongs to Jerry Lee Lewis whose 1957 rock and roll/rockabilly version turned it into an iconic anthem that shook the music world.
Jerry Lee Lewis had been incorporating the song into his live performances before he immortalized it at Sun Records during his second recording session in February 1957. Under the guidance of the brilliant producer Jack Clement, Lewis transformed the original tune radically — infusing it with a thrilling, propulsive boogie piano style. This musical reinvention was heightened by J.M. Van Eaton’s high-energy drumming and Roland Janes’ muted guitar, which combined to create a sound that was both groundbreaking and irresistibly danceable. Lewis even added provocative spoken asides, ramping up the song’s daring edge.
Jack Clement, also known as “Cowboy,” who engineered this session, warned Lewis,
“We don’t do much country around here. We’re in the rock & roll business. You ought to go home and work up some rock & roll numbers.”
Yet Lewis boldly embraced the challenge. Reflecting on the recording, he admitted,
“I knew it was a hit when I cut it. Sam Phillips thought it was gonna be too risqué, it couldn’t make it. If that’s risqué, well, I’m sorry.”
Released as a single by Sun Records, the song swiftly climbed the charts, soaring to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B charts. It also remarkably clinched the top spot on the country charts and cracked the UK Singles Chart at No. 8. His breakthrough single catapulted Jerry Lee Lewis into instant stardom, heralding a seismic shift in the emerging rock ‘n’ roll landscape. Music historian Robert Gordon observed that Lewis’s arrival signified that rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t confined to guitars alone — the piano could shake up the genre just as fiercely.
Esteemed American music critic Cub Koda hailed the track as a “rock & roll classic,” while scholar Charles L. Ponce de Leon described it as “perhaps the quintessential rockabilly anthem.” The song’s enduring influence was officially recognized when it was ranked as the 61st greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004. Its cultural and historical importance was further cemented in 2005 when it was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
The infectious energy and rebellious spirit captured in “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” defined an era — a bold declaration that rock and roll had arrived and was here to stay. Below are the electrifying lyrics that accompanied Lewis’s energetic performance, urging listeners to bend, shake, and move to the beat:
Come on over, baby, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Yes I said come on over, baby, baby, you can’t go wrong
We ain’t fakin’ a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Well, I said come on over, baby, we got chicken in the barn
Come on over, baby, babe, I got the bull by the horns
We ain’t fakin’, a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Well, shake, baby, shake
I said shake, baby, shake
I said shake it, baby, shake it
Well shake, baby, shake
Come on over, whole lot of shakin goin’ on
Ah let’s go
Well, come over, baby, we got chicken in the barn
Whose barn, what barn, my barn
Come on over, baby, better got your bull by the horn
We ain’t fakin’, whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on
Easy now
Shake it, oh, shake it, baby
Yeah, you can shake one time for me
Well, I said on come over, baby, whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on
Now let’s get real low one time now
Shake, baby, shake
All you gotta, honey, is kinda stand in one spot
Wiggle around just a little bit
That’s what you gotta do, yeah
Ooh, babe, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Now let’s go one time
Shake it, babe, shake it
Shake it, babe, shake
Shake it, babe, come on, babe
Shake it, babe, shake it
Come on over, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on
Jerry Lee Lewis’s interpretation remains a timeless beacon of rockabilly energy and rebellious spirit, a moment when music truly began to shake the foundations of tradition and ignite the passions of generations to come.
