You Never Can Tell (song)

"You Never Can Tell" is a famous song written by Chuck Berry. He created it in the early 1960s while he was away from home. The song came out in 1964 on an album called St. Louis to Liverpool. It was released as a single after another hit song called "No Particular Place to Go" and became very popular, reaching number 14 on the music charts. This was one of Berry's last big hits until another song, "My Ding-a-Ling", became number 1 in 1972.

The song did a little better in Canada and also made the Top 40 in the United Kingdom. One special part of Berry's recording is a memorable piano part played by Johnnie Johnson. The song is also known by two other names: "C'est La Vie" and "Teenage Wedding."

Description

The song tells the story of two teenagers getting married and their life afterward. They live in a small apartment with furniture they bought at a store called Sears. The young man gets a job, and they start to do well. Later, they buy a nice car and go to New Orleans to celebrate their wedding day. Each part of the song ends with the line, "'C'est la vie,' say the old folks, 'it goes to show you never can tell.'" The piano tune was inspired by a 1953 song called "Caribbean."

Chart performance

Certifications

Other versions

Emmylou Harris recorded "You Never Can Tell," calling it "(You Never Can Tell) C'est La Vie." This was the first song from her 1977 album Luxury Liner. Her version became very popular and reached high positions on music charts.

Many other artists have also recorded or performed this song over the years, including John Prine, Loggins and Messina, Daddy Cool, Aaron Neville, Bob Seger, Coldplay, and the Jerry Garcia Band, among others.

Pulp Fiction

The song became popular again after it was used in the 1994 film Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino. In the movie, the music played during a "Twist contest" where two characters, Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman), danced together. The song added a special sound to the story, and Tarantino felt the lyrics gave the scene a nice, old-fashioned dance feeling.

In other media

The song has been performed live by artists like Emmylou Harris, and The Pelicans have also shared their version on their YouTube channel. It was planned to be in the dance video game Just Dance 2015 but was removed for a reason that isn’t known. The song later appeared in the next game, Just Dance 2016.

In an episode of The Big Bang Theory, the character Leonard dances to the song when he and Penny are alone in their apartment after Sheldon moves out.