Million Dollar Riff Explained

Million Dollar Riff
Type:single
Artist:Skyhooks
Album:Straight in a Gay Gay World
B-Side:Forging Ahead
Released:November 1975
Studio:TCS Studios, Melbourne
Genre:Glam rock
Length:3:51
Label:Mushroom Records
Producer:Duke Wilson
Prev Title:All My Friends Are Getting Married
Prev Year:1975
Next Title:Let It Rock (live)
Next Year:1976

"Million Dollar Riff" is a song by Australian band Skyhooks, released in November 1975 as the lead single from the band's third studio album, Straight in a Gay Gay World. The song peaked at number six in Australia.

The song incorporates riffs from other hit songs, including from the Skyhooks' own "Horror Movie", plus the worldwide hits "Satisfaction", "Smoke on the Water", "Sunshine of Your Love", "Day Tripper", "Gloria", and Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode".[1] It also includes lyrical allusions to Berry's "Little Queenie" ("Meanwhile, I was still..."), and Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang" ("Ooh, Ah. Ooh, Ah").[2]

Track listing

7" single (K-6159)

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1975)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 98
Chart (1976)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 78

Notes and References

  1. Book: Down Under. 9781925344332. Conomy. Trevor. August 2015.
  2. Web site: The Skyhooks Story in 9 Songs. I Like Your Old Stuff. August 2020. 5 June 2021.
  3. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 277.
  4. Web site: National Top 100 Singles for 1975. . 79 . . 29 December 1975 . 15 January 2022 .
  5. Web site: National Top 100 Singles for 1976. . 131 . . 27 December 1976 . 15 January 2022 .