Song Origin
Little Richard first heard the phrase "Good golly, Miss Molly" from a Southern DJ named Jimmy Pennick. He modified the lyrics into the more suggestive "Good golly, Miss Molly/You sure like to ball". Little Richard himself later claimed that he took the music from Ike Turner's piano intro to Jackie Brenston's influential 1951 rock and roll song "Rocket 88", and used it for "Good Golly Miss Molly". "I always liked that record," Richard recalled, "and I used to use the riff in my act, so when we were looking for a lead-in to 'Good Golly, Miss Molly', I did that and it fit."
Read more about this topic: Good Golly Miss Molly
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