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{{Infobox song
| name       = Great Balls of Fire
| cover      = JLL Great Balls single cover.jpg
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Jerry Lee Lewis]]
| B-side     = You Win Again
| released   = November 1957<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Review Spotlight on C&W Records |magazine=Billboard |date=November 11, 1957 |page=124 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XiEEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Jerry+Lee+lewis+great+balls+of+fire&pg=PA124}}</ref>
| recorded   = October 8, 1957
| studio     = [[Sun Studio]] ([[Memphis, Tennessee]])
| genre      = [[Rock and roll]]
| length     = 1:52
| label      = [[Sun Records|Sun]] 281
| writer     = * [[Otis Blackwell]]
* [[Jack Hammer (songwriter)|Jack Hammer]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/jack_hammer.htm |title=Jack Hammer |publisher=Rockabilly.nl |access-date=2014-04-03}}</ref>
| producer   = [[Sam Phillips]]
| prev_title = [[Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On]]
| prev_year  = 1957
| next_title = [[You Win Again (Hank Williams song)|You Win Again]]
| next_year  = 1957
}}
"'''Great Balls of Fire'''" is a 1957 popular song recorded by American [[rock and roll]] musician [[Jerry Lee Lewis]] on [[Sun Records]]<ref name=pc8/> and featured in the 1957 movie ''[[Jamboree (1957 film)|Jamboree]]''. It was written by [[Otis Blackwell]] and [[Jack Hammer (songwriter)|Jack Hammer]]. The Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 recording was ranked as the [[The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|96th-greatest song ever]] by ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. It is written in [[AABA form]].<ref>Covach, John (2005), "Form in Rock Music: A Primer", in Stein, Deborah, ''Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis'', New York: Oxford University Press, p.70, {{ISBN|0-19-517010-5}}</ref> It sold one million copies in its first 10 days of release in the United States, making it one of the [[List of best-selling singles in the United States|best-selling singles]] at that time.

==Background and Composition==
"Great Balls of Fire" is best known for Jerry Lee Lewis's original, which was recorded in the [[Sun Studio]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]],<ref name=pc8>{{Gilliland |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19756/m1/ |title=Show 8 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies. [Part 2] |show=8}}</ref> on October 8, 1957, using three personnel: Lewis (piano/vocals), Sidney Stokes (bass), and a session drummer, Larry Linn, instead of the usual Sun backups [[Jimmy Van Eaton]] (drums) and [[Roland Janes]] (guitar).  Lewis was quoted in the book ''JLL: His Own Story'' by Rick Bragg, (pg 133), as saying "I knew Sidney Stokes, but I didn't know him that well either, and I don't know what happened to them people.  That's the last time I ever seen 'em.  That's strange isn't it?" It was released as a [[single (music)|45 rpm single]] on Sun 281 in November 1957. It reached number two on the [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] pop charts, number three on the R&B charts,<ref>{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004 |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=347}}</ref> and number one on the country charts.<ref name="whitburn200">{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=200}}</ref> It also reached number one on the [[UK Singles Chart]],<ref name="500 Number One Hits">{{cite book
| first= Jo
| last= Rice
| year= 1982
| title= The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits
| edition= 1st
| publisher= Guinness Superlatives Ltd 
| location= Enfield, Middlesex
| page= 34
| isbn= 0-85112-250-7}}</ref><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= [[British Hit Singles & Albums]]
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited 
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 80}}</ref> and appeared on the New Zealand Singles Chart and the Dutch top 40.

The song was featured in a performance by Jerry Lee Lewis and his band in the 1957 Warner Bros. rock and roll film [[Jamboree (1957 film)|''Jamboree'']], which also featured [[Carl Perkins]], [[Fats Domino]], [[Buddy Knox]], and [[Dick Clark]]. The recording was released in the UK on London Records.

The tune is the first song on the second side of Lewis's 1964 album ''[[Live at the Star Club, Hamburg]]''.

==Chart performance==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1957–1958)
!Peak<br />position
|-
{{singlechart|Dutch40|30|artist=Jerry Lee Lewis|song=Great Balls of Fire}}
|-
{{singlechart|New Zealand|8|artist=Jerry Lee Lewis|song=Great Balls of Fire)}}
|-
|[[UK Singles Chart]] ([[The Official Charts Company]])<ref name="500 Number One Hits"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|}
==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Great Balls of Fire"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=Jerry Lee Lewis|title=Great Balls of Fire|award=Gold|access-date=December 15, 2024|relyear=1957|certyear=2023|certref=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radioscope.co.nz/2024/00/00/single-cert-search/|title=New Zealand single certifications – Jerry Lee Lewis – Great Balls of Fire|publisher=[[Recorded Music NZ]]|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}

==Legacy==
* The song was performed by [[Levi Kreis]] in the 2010 musical ''[[Million Dollar Quartet (musical)|Million Dollar Quartet]]'', portraying Jerry Lee Lewis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_MDQ_CurtainParty_20000101 |title=Photo Coverage: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET Opens on Broadway |publisher=Broadwayworld.com |access-date=2014-04-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadway.com/buzz/awards/tony-awards/shows/million-dollar-quartet/152727/rocker-turned-broadway-star-levi-kreis-wins-tony-for-million-dollar-quartet/ |title=Rocker-Turned-Broadway Star Levi Kreis Wins Tony for Million Dollar Quartet &#124; Tony Awards 2010 |publisher=Broadway.com |date=2010-06-13 |access-date=2014-04-03}}</ref>
* The title of the 1989 [[biopic]], ''[[Great Balls of Fire! (film)|Great Balls of Fire!]]'' about Lewis, played by [[Dennis Quaid]], is derived from the song title.
* In 2017, [[WWE]] held a professional wrestling event titled ''[[WWE Great Balls of Fire|Great Balls of Fire]]'', referencing the song. [[Jerry Lawler]]'s personal attorney, who also represents Jerry Lee Lewis, informed him that the singer had actually [[trademark]]ed the phrase, prompting Lawler to inform them of this. He stated that he "put him in touch with the WWE people, gave him a name. Apparently, he called them and got everything worked out. Not only are they using the name, [but also] they are using Jerry Lee's song."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2017/0607/626919/wwe-reportedly-received-copyright-complaint-over-great-balls-of/|title=WWE Had Reportedly Received Copyright Complaint Over 'Great Balls Of Fire' Name - WrestlingInc.com|work=Wrestling Inc.|access-date=2017-07-22|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Ric Flair]] revealed he started using his iconic "Wooo!" catchphrase in 1974 after he heard Jerry Lee Lewis sing the lyric, “Goodness gracious, great balls of fire, woo!”<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.providr.com/ric-flair-woo/2/|title=Ric Flair Reveals The Origin Of His Infamous 'Woo' Catchphrase|date=2016-12-13|work=Providr.com|access-date=2017-05-29|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715210522/https://www.providr.com/ric-flair-woo/2/|archive-date=2018-07-15|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Cree Summer]], at age 17, sang the song as the opening and closing for Madballs’ ''Escape from Orb''.
* [[Dolly Parton]] sang it at the grand opening of FireChaser Express.

In 1998, the 1957 recording of "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GRAMMY Hall Of Fame {{!}} Hall of Fame Artists {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=grammy.com}}</ref> 
===''Top Gun'' franchise===
In the 1986 film ''[[Top Gun]]'', LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (portrayed by [[Anthony Edwards (actor)|Anthony Edwards]]) plays the song in a bar with his family and Pete "Maverick" Mitchell ([[Tom Cruise]]). The song is available on the [[Top Gun (soundtrack)|''Top Gun'' soundtrack]] special edition released in 1999. The song is performed again in the sequel, the 2022 film ''[[Top Gun: Maverick]]'' by Goose's son LT Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (portrayed by [[Miles Teller]]). During the editing process, the song was found to evoke flashbacks of Goose’s death while Maverick watches from outside the hard deck bar.  <ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Lawrence |first=Derek |date=2023-03-07 |title=How Top Gun: Maverick's Electric Bar Scene Took Flight |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/03/awards-insider-top-gun-maverick-bar-scene?srsltid=AfmBOorE57_aM7azZ56FGNy8mokBccxziGbhhlNFwOXUIPLSsdI4uZ7W |access-date=2024-11-02 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}}</ref>

Teller's performance is included on that film's soundtrack ''[[Top Gun: Maverick (soundtrack)|Top Gun: Maverick (Music from the Motion Picture)]]'', on which it is labeled as a live performance. [[Paramount Pictures]] later released the extended scene of Teller's performance as Rooster on [[YouTube]] on June 16, 2022.<ref>{{cite AV media|date=June 16, 2022|title=Miles Teller - Great Balls of Fire (From "Top Gun: Maverick") [Official Video]|language=en|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVcMsjyKlaM|access-date=June 27, 2022|format=YouTube video|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{discogs master|737445|type=single}}

{{Jerry Lee Lewis}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1957 songs]]
[[Category:1957 singles]]
[[Category:Jerry Lee Lewis songs]]
[[Category:Sun Records singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Otis Blackwell]]
[[Category:The Newbeats songs]]
[[Category:Gary Lewis & the Playboys songs]]
[[Category:New Grass Revival songs]]
[[Category:Electric Light Orchestra songs]]
[[Category:Dolly Parton songs]]
[[Category:Fleetwood Mac songs]]
[[Category:The Flamingos songs]]
[[Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients]]
[[Category:UK singles chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:The Crickets songs]]