Pop Song 650 of 1000 'You never can tell' Chuck Berry 1964

Pop Song 650 of 1000 'You never can tell' Chuck Berry 1964
MV    • Chuck Berry   You Never Can Tell (Vid...  
July 13, 2024

"You Never Can Tell", also known as "C'est La Vie" or "Teenage Wedding", is a song written by Chuck Berry. It was composed in the early 1960s while Berry was in federal prison for violating the Mann Act.

The song tells of the wedding of two teenagers and their lifestyle afterward. Living in a modest apartment furnished with items bought on sale at Sears, Roebuck, and Co., including a Coolerator brand refrigerator, the young man finds work and they begin to enjoy relative prosperity. Eventually, they purchase a "souped-up jitney" (an automobile modified for high performance) and travel to New Orleans, where their wedding had taken place, to celebrate their anniversary. Each verse ends with the refrain, "'C'est la vie,' say the old folks, 'it goes to show you never can tell.'"[3] The piano melody was influenced by Mitchell Torok's 1953 hit "Caribbean"

It was a teenage wedding and the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre did truly love the Mademoiselle
And now the young Monsieur and Madame have rung the chapel bell
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell
They furnished off an apartment with a two room roebuck sale
The coolerator was crammed with TV dinners and ginger ale
But when Pierre found work, the little money comin' worked out well
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell
They had a hi-fi phono boy did they let it blast?
Seven hundred little records all rock, rhythm, and jazz
But when the sun went down the rapid tempo of the music fell
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell
They bought a souped-up jitney was a cherry red '53
And drove it down New Orleans to celebrate their anniversary
It was there where Pierre was wedded to the lovely Mademoiselle
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell
They had a teenage wedding and the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre did truly love the Mademoiselle
And now the young Monsieur and Madame have rung the chapel bell
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell