In the early 1970s, there were a lot of songs whose theme was nostalgia for the early days of rock and roll. This might have partly been because the movie American Graffiti came out in 1973 and was successful, or it might just have been because people who were teenagers when rock and roll started were now at an age when some of them were nostalgic about being teenagers. "Rock On" is one of these, with its references to "Summertime Blues" and "Blue Suede Shoes".
To me, the interesting thing about "Rock On" is that it doesn't actually rock on - it's an odd mixture of funk and pop. It seems a bit too self-conscious for my taste. But lots of people liked it - it reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the UK singles chart and sold over a million copies.
David Essex (born 1947) was a one-hit wonder in North America but had a hugely successful career in his native Britain. Following "Rock On", Essex reached the UK Top 10 nine times between 1973 and 1983, including reaching #1 with "Gonna Make You a Star" in 1973 and "Hold Me Close" in 1975. He also had a successful career as an actor, including being nominated for the Lawrence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Musical for his work in Evita in 1978.
Essex last released an album in 2013 and last appeared in a movie in 2020. His work as an ambassador for the charitable organization Voluntary Service Overseas earned him an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 2009.
Created May 14, 2026.