Rock and Roll Is Dead

"Rock and Roll Is Dead" is the first single released from the 1995 Lenny Kravitz album Circus. The song reached the top 20 in Canada, Finland, New Zealand, and Spain, but it underperformed in the United States, peaking at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Not to be confused with Rock & Roll Is Dead or Rock Is Dead.
"Rock and Roll Is Dead"
Single by Lenny Kravitz
from the album Circus
B-side
  • "Another Life"
  • "Confused"
  • "Is It Me, Is It You?"
ReleasedAugust 28, 1995 (1995-08-28)
Length3:22
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Lenny Kravitz
Producer(s)Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz singles chronology
"Is There Any Love in Your Heart"
(1994)		 "Rock and Roll Is Dead"
(1995)		 "Circus"
(1995)

Content

Kravitz told on the meaning of "Rock and Roll Is Dead":

That song was completely misunderstood. A lot of people don't take [the song] that one layer deeper--they hear the title and chorus and take it at face value. They think I'm being serious when actually I'm a very big clown. But you have to know me to see that. I'm constantly cracking up and cracking everybody else around me up. People see my photos and think I labor over my image and I'm this cool, brooding artist. But I'm just having fun with it.

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Borrowing half of the riff from Led Zeppelin's Heartbreaker is not exactly the way to back up the statement he's making here. By going retro again, Kravitz reanimates rock totally. DJ Hans Van Rijn at Danish radio station The Voice/Copenhagen said, "As rock is still very big in Scandinavia, it will be a big radio hit. It's typical of him, the way it's structured. Although playable in all day slots, in the evening it will do best on EHR stations which pretend to cater to youth."[1] Kravitz was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for this song in 1996.[2]

Chart performance

The song reached number 75 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. It was a top-10 hit in Finland, New Zealand and Spain, reaching numbers 10, eight, and five, respectively. In Canada, the song reached number 16. Elsewhere, the song reached the top 40 in Australia, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Music video

The music video for "Rock and Roll Is Dead" was storyboarded by Andrew Trovaioli and directed by Ruven Afanador. The video shows Kravitz performing the song with his band, as well as Kravitz with visual artistic related backgrounds.

Track listings

Charts
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 26
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] 16
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[12] 3
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 31
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 10
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[15] 18
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 40
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17] 8
Scotland (OCC)[18] 23
Spain (AFYVE)[19] 5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 24
UK Singles (OCC)[21] 22
US Billboard Hot 100[22] 75
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[23] 10
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[24] 4

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom August 28, 1995
  • 10-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Virgin [25]
Japan September 6, 1995 Mini-CD [26]
United States September 12, 1995 Contemporary hit radio [27]

References
  1. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. September 2, 1995. p. 11. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  2. "Lenny Kravitz". Grammy Awards. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  3. Rock and Roll Is Dead (US & Canadian CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1995. V25F-38514, 7243 8 38514 2 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. Rock and Roll Is Dead (US cassette single sleeve). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1995. 4KM-38514, 7 2438 38514 4 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. Rock and Roll Is Dead (UK CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1995. VUSCD 93, 7243 8 93102 21.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. Rock and Roll Is Dead (UK 10-inch single sleeve). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1995. VUSAB 93, 7243 8 93102 0 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. Rock and Roll Is Dead (UK cassette single sleeve). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1995. VUSC 93, 7243 8 93102 4 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. Rock and Roll Is Dead (European CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1995. VUSCDE 93, 7243 8 93103 2 0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. Rock and Roll Is Dead (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1995. VJDP-10252.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. "Lenny Kravitz – Rock and Roll Is Dead". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  11. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2781." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  12. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 8530." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 38. September 23, 1995. p. 16. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  14. "Lenny Kravitz: Rock and Roll Is Dead" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  15. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (30.9. '95 – 6.10. '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). September 30, 1995. p. 24. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  16. "Lenny Kravitz – Rock and Roll Is Dead" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  17. "Lenny Kravitz – Rock and Roll Is Dead". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  18. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  19. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  20. "Lenny Kravitz – Rock and Roll Is Dead". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  21. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  22. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  23. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  24. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  25. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 26, 1995. p. 43. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  26. "ロックン・ロール・イズ・デッド | レニー・クラヴィッツ" [Rock 'n' Roll Is Dead | Lenny Kravitz] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  27. "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1111. September 8, 1995. p. 71. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
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