(Eric Carmen/Fred Carmen)

(Recorded by Eric Carmen)
Cool 101 / 1986

A DJ in Cleveland brought some bands to town
When the music got started
They tore the house down
People said everybody just went out of control
Alan Freed grabbed a mike and called it rock and roll
They started Bandstand in Philly back in '55
And Elvis rock-a-billy brought Memphis alive
L.A. gave us surfers and Detroit's got soul
But there's only one home of rock and roll

And kids a hundred thousand strong
Burned the phone lines all night long
To send a message loud and clear
In the U.S.A., I said, the rock stops here

The rock stops here
Little Richard brought Miss Molly
The rock stops here
Peggy Sue's with Buddy Holly
The rock stops here
Everybody's gettin' down
The rock stops here
"Oww!" here comes the great James Brown
The rock stops here
Chuck Berry's with "Maybelline"
The rock stops here
Jerry Lee's piano's screamin'
The rock stops here
Elvis singin' "Blue Suede Shoes"
I need a shot of rock-a-billy
with my rhythm and blues

They looked from New York to L.A. to find the spot
Every city in the nation took their very best shot
When the dust all settled, one city stood tall
And they knew who deserved the Rock and Roll Hall
So to prove the facts they already knew
They took a nationwide poll
that made the front page news
When the votes were counted, the results all showed
In Cleveland, we eat, sleep and drink rock and roll

Kids a hundred thousand strong
Shouted, "Put the Hall where it belongs"
Now here's the message loud and clear
In the U.S.A., you know the rock stops here

I said the rock stops here
Cathy's Clown's with Don and Phil
The rock stops here
Fats is up on Blueberry Hill
The rock stops here
Ray Charles shoutin' "What'd I Say"
The rock stops here
And Sam Cooke is "Twistin' The Night Away"
The rock stops here
Elvis doin' "Jailhouse Rock"
The rock stops here
Chuck Berry doin' the duck walk
The rock stops here
Little Richard's singin' "Woooo"
I said, "Wop-bomp-a-loo-bop Ba-lomp-bam-boom"

Kids a hundred thousand strong
Shouted, "Put the Hall where it belongs"
Here's the message loud and clear
In the U.S.A., I said the rock stops here

The rock stops here
Little Richard brought Miss Molly
The rock stops here
Peggy Sue's with Buddy Holly
The rock stops here
Everybody's gettin' down
The rock stops here
"Oww!" here comes the great James Brown
The rock stops here
Chuck Berry's with "Maybelline"
The rock stops here
Jerry Lee's piano's screamin'
The rock stops here
Elvis singin' "Blue Suede Shoes"
I need a shot of rock-a-billy
with my rhythm and blues

I said the rock stops here
Cathy's Clown's with Don and Phil
The rock stops here
Fats is up on Blueberry Hill
The rock stops here
Ray Charles shoutin' "What'd I Say"
The rock stops here
And Sam Cooke is "Twistin' The Night Away"
The rock stops here
Elvis doin' "Jailhouse Rock"
The rock stops here
Chuck Berry doin' the duck walk
The rock stops here
Little Richard's singin' "Woooo"
I said, "Wop-bomp-a-loo-bop Ba-lomp-bam-boom"

I said the rock stops here
Gonna shout it to the nation
The rock stops here
At every radio station
The rock stops here
Say it loud and clear
'Cause in the U.S.A., you know the rock stops here