School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)
Chuck Berry, 1957. Solo by Chuck Berry.
Berry answers each vocal line with a guitar lick, turning call and response into the song's structure.
School Day is built on call and response, with Chuck Berry answering each vocal line with a sharp guitar lick. This structure turns the guitar into a second voice, commenting on the story of a teenager's school day. Berry's playing is crisp and rhythmic, blending blues and country influences with his signature double-stops. The song shows his invention for combining storytelling and guitar hooks. Listen for how each guitar response mimics the rhythm of the vocal phrases, creating a playful conversation, and for the way the solo builds on these short licks, adding energy and excitement as the song moves toward the joyous release of the final verse.
School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell) by Chuck Berry is ranked #235 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Chuck Berry and the song was released in 1957. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #3 (uDiscover Music).
In our lists
- The Greatest Solo of Every Year — #14
- The Road Trip 50 — #48
- The 25 Greatest Rock and Roll Guitar Solos — #6
Sources
Who played the guitar solo on School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)?
Chuck Berry played the solo on Chuck Berry's School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell) (1957).
Where does School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell) rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#235 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 1 of them.