The moment of birth of "Johnny B. Goode" that perfectly fits the time paradox of "Back to the Future"!

The power of music to convey the atmosphere of the times

Music plays a very important role when movies express the times. A particularly effective film that used a large number of famous oldies songs from the 1950s and 1960s was American Graffiti (1973), which director George Lucas used as a motif from his own youth. The movie was set in 1962, and the movie featured over 40 hit songs, including the aforementioned ``Johnny B. Goode,'' which were played on the radio.

Music is used to clearly convey the difference between 1985 and 1955, which is also the setting for ``Back to the Future''. Marty, a guitar boy, is obsessed with hard rock bands like Van Halen, who were big hits in the 80s, and at the beginning of the story he tries to strum his guitar through the huge speakers and amplifier in Doc's house.

The song he blasts on his Walkman to threaten his young father, George, is Van Halen's non-album song ``Out The Window.'' On the label of the cassette tape shown in the movie, ``EDWARD'' is written in small letters above the words ``VAN HALEN.'' It seems that this was because the band's permission was not obtained, and leader Eddie Van Halen personally gave permission.

   "Back to the Future" (C) 1985 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

On the other hand, in 1955, rock and roll was still in its infancy. Marty wanders into 1955 and hears " Mr. Sandman " sung by the Four Aces, a male chorus group. This is a pop number that became a big hit when recorded by various groups such as the Cordettes in 1954, and is far from the intensity of rock music. " Earth Angel ", performed by the party band in which Marty participated, was also a sweet ballad that became a hit in 1954. Set in December 1955, it's a perfect historical song to play at a rural high school party.

There, Marty calls it a "nostalgic oldie," but plays "Johnny B. Goode," which was released three years later in 1958 in terms of musical history. It is suggested that Chuck Berry, who listened to this over the phone, was baptized by the rock beat and would later make ``Johnny B. Goode'' a hit, based on the number of ``Back to the Future'' songs. It's a hilarious moment even in a time paradox story.

The magic word that created “rock and roll”