“Keep On Rockin'” was the second Sammy Hagar track Midler recorded, his hard rock track “Red” was featured on her 1977 studio album Broken Blossom.
Keep On Rockin' - Bette Midler
(Written by Sammy Hagar and John Carter)
You know I been thinkin'
Lord, about the hard sides of rock and roll.
They say you can't make no money,
Ooh, unless you're the Rolling Stones.
I put a chip on my shoulder;
Gave me the fire in my in my blood.
Children of the Earth,
Listen what I say.
You made rock and roll
What it is today.
And no two-bit fascist
Is gonna shoot us down.
So come on children,
Bring your guns to town.
Shoot 'em down!
We can rock and roll all night long.
And I wanna see you out there feelin' strong.
And I wanna give you, ooh, the shot you need.
I'll be your doctor. You just call on me.
Call on me, baby, baby.
Call on me, call on me, baby.
Keep on rockin'.
Keep on rockin'.
Keep on, rocn 'n' roll
Gonna never die.
Keep on rockin'.
Keep on rockin'.
Keep on, rock 'n' roll
Gonna never die.
Children of the Earth,
Listen what I say.
You made rock and roll
What it is today.
And no two-bit fascist
Is gonna shoot us down.
So come on children,
Bring your guns,
Bring your guns to town.
Keep on rockin'.
Keep on rockin'.
Keep on, rock 'n' roll
Gonna never die.
Keep on rockin'.
Keep on rockin'.
Keep on, rock 'n' roll
Gonna never die.
Keep on rockin'.
Keep on rockin'.
Kepp on, rock 'n' roll
Gonna never die.
Keep On Rockin' - Sammy Hagar
(Written by Sammy Hagar and John Carter)
Sammy's debut solo album came less than two years after his exit from Montrose, and the first song on the first side of the record is a glam-rock stomper that essentially lays out Hagar's origin story: "I was born in the 50s / I was loud and electric," he begins, before namechecking Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones (followed by a quick reference to the Jumpin' Jack Flash riff), Woodstock, the Fillmore and more. Add in the female backing vocals, barrelhouse piano and the adenoidal gang shouts of "Give us rock n' roll!," and the whole thing comes off as a more Americanized version of something that T. Rex or Mott the Hoople might have churned out a few years earlier. It's a long way from the darker, more Zeppelin-esque style of hard rock he plied with Montrose, with an almost show-tune like quality. Which explains why "Keep On Rockin'" was actually covered, albeit in radically reworked form, by Bette Midler for 1979's The Rose.
(Keep on a-rockin', keep on a-rockin')
(Keep on a-rock n roll's gonna never die)
I was born in the '50s
I was loud and electric, didn't I turn you on?
(Keep on a-rockin', keep on a-rockin')
Got all shook up with Elvis
Yeah, yeah, I've been Beatled, I've been Rolling Stoned
Watch it
A hot flash at Woodstock
I encored there with your favorite song, yeah yeah yeah
The crowd was screamin'
"Give us rock n roll"
When the spotlight hits me
I always steal the show, let's go
(Keep on a-rockin', keep on a-rockin')
(Keep on a-rock n roll's gonna never die)
Baby, I am the music
I am every note and I'm every chord
(Keep on a-rockin', keep on a-rockin')
I'm the star of tomorrow
Yeah, I'm the holy ghost of the old Fillmore
Ooh yeah
The crowd was screamin'
"Give us rock n roll"
When the spotlight hits me
Put on my axe and I blow, like this
Fats Domino, ow
Shake, rattle and roll all night long, yeah
When the rock is right, you can't go wrong, no
(No, you can't go wrong)
Some things never last
But the beat goes on and on and on and on and
Oooh baby, you rock on
(Keep on a rockin', keep on a rockin')
(Keep on a rock n roll's gonna never die)
(Keep on a-rockin', keep on a-rockin')
(Keep on a-rock n roll's gonna never die)
You just keep on a rockin', and you roll it
Rock n roll it, rock n roll it all night long
(Keep on a-rockin', keep on a-rockin')
(Keep on a-rock n roll's gonna never die)
Baby, you just rock it, rock 'n' roll it all night long
Baby, baby
You just rock it, rock 'n' roll it all night long
