Promised Land by Chuck Berry

Album: St. Louis to Liverpool (1964)

Charted: 26 41

License This Song

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

Berry wrote this when he was serving time in jail for transporting a girl across state lines for immoral purposes. He had to borrow an atlas of the US from the prison library to plot his hero's journey from Virginia to California.
In this song, Berry tells the tale of a poor boy who heads to California from his home in Norfolk, Virginia. The journey takes by bus, train and airplane through much of the United States. When he finally arrives, he calls back home to tell them he made it.
In 1974, Elvis Presley recorded a version of this which reached #9 in the UK and #14 in the US.

Comments: 9

Kmelub from Margate. FlElvis's version was THE BEST. Meatloaf came close when he covrted it on SNL, but Elvis's version was the nonpareil.
Brad from ManahawkinThe Elvis version of this song was played in Men In Black when Tommy Lee Jones' character takes Will Smith through the Lincoln Tunnel.
Jennifur Sun from RamonaTony, have to agree about liking Elvis' version better.
Will from Rock Hill, ScYeah, you're right Ern, songs like 'Maybellene', 'Thirty Days', 'School Days', 'Havana Moon', 'Back in the USA', 'Sweet Little Sixteen', 'You Can't Catch Me', 'Brown-Eyed Handsome Man' and ALL of his other songs sound like 'Johnny B. Goode'. Listen to his music before you trash it to make Elvis, who never wrote a song, seem better. Chuck influenced nearly every rock guitarist that came after him, so your statement that "Chuck just Blows" is just not true.
Ern from Fresno, CaTony is Right On! Elvis blows this tune outta the
water. Chuck just Blows. Every song sounds like Johnny B. Goode! Stuff it Kevin.
Charlie from Bozeman, Mtthe Grateful dead also covered this song playing it live many times.thats how many people came to know this song
Ken from Louisville, KyJames Taylor also did a version of this on his "One Man Dog" album
Kevin from Reading , PaElvis better than Chuck at one of Chuck's own songs? Tony, are you nuts? Or just deaf. The only person I know who ever cut Chuck at one of his songs was "the Killer" Jerry Lee Lewis, who outdid the maestro on "Little Queenie."
Tony from Boston, MaElvis does a much better version in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I love Chuck.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

GreaseFrankie Valli

The song "Grease," sung by Frankie Valli in the 1978 movie, was written by Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees.

1234Feist

Feist's "1234" is "about lost love, and the hope to recapture what you once had," but it's best known for the Sesame Street version about counting to four.

Brown Eyed GirlVan Morrison

Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" was originally called "Brown Skinned Girl," and was about an interracial relationship.

Everyday I Write The BookElvis Costello

Elvis Costello says "Everyday I Write The Book" is a knockoff of Nick Lowe's "When I Write the Book."

Pump Up The JamTechnotronic

The first Eurodance hit in America was "Pump Up The Jam" by Technotronic in 1989. It led to a wave of Eurodance hits from the likes of Black Box, Snap! and C+C Music Factory in the early '90s.

Ring Of FireJohnny Cash

Johnny Cash's wife, June Carter, wrote "Ring Of Fire" about their relationship.