Other than having played bass for two of the most famous of English rock groups, Paul McCartney and Sid Vicious don't have a lot in common. But there is one other thing: Eddie Cochran, the great rock and roll singer and guitarist who died at the age of twenty-one in a traffic accident in England (and for which the taxi driver was found criminally responsible). In his short career he accomplished a lot, and his influence on rock has been profound. Musicians as disparate as the two bassists mentioned above have covered, and learned from his songs. To them add Marc Bolan (from T. Rex), Pete Townshend and the rest of the Who (whose version of "Summertime Blues" on Live at Leeds has become almost as iconic as the original), Led Zeppelin, the New York Dolls, the Stones, the Beach Boys, and many more. An impressive list, to say the least. By the way, it was seeing Nowhere Boy that brought him to mind: the film shows (correctly) that the song that the fifteen-year-old McCartney played when first introduced to Lennon on June 29, 1957 was Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock". I'm going to write about the influence of Cochran and Elvis Presley on McCartney and Lennon, respectively, tomorrow. For the moment, here's a link (and the lyrics) for "Summertime Blues": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeWC59FJqGc

I'm gonna raise a fuss, I'm gonna raise a holler

About a workin' all summer just to try to earn a dollar

Every time I call my baby, and try to get a date

My boss says, "No dice son, you gotta work late"

Sometimes I wonder what I'm a gonna do

But there ain't no cure for the summertime blues

Well my mom and pop told me, "Son you gotta make some money,

If you want to use the car to go ridin' next Sunday"

Well I didn't go to work, told the boss I was sick

"Well you can't use the car 'cause you didn't work a lick"

Sometimes I wonder what I'm a gonna do

But there ain't no cure for the summertime blues

I'm gonna take two weeks, gonna have a fine vacation

I'm gonna take my problem to the United Nations

Well I called my congressman and he said Quote:

"I'd like to help you son but you're too young to vote"

Sometimes I wonder what I'm a gonna do

But there ain't no cure for the summertime blues