Pick any playlist or compilation of Cheap Trick songs, and you’re bound to be blown away by what you hear. This band has always displayed a knack for ear candy with musical heft and lyrical cleverness behind it.
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That’s why it’s a bit of a surprise when you start to realize that some of their singles didn’t make that much of an impact on the pop charts at the time. Here are five of them that you need to check out, just in case you missed or forgot about them.
“If You Want My Love” from ‘One On One’ (1982)
Cheap Trick’s ability to bring a kind of Beatlesque feel has been well documented but also a bit overemphasized at times. This band was always able to take all their influences, synthesize them, and spit out something completely unique. Still, if you’re looking for one song that was especially beholden to the Fab Four, “If You Want My Love” would have to be it.
There’s some psychedelic wooziness in the verses that explodes into an open-hearted chorus. Check out some of the high notes pulled down with ease by lead singer Robin Zander.
“She’s Tight” from ‘One On One’ (1982)
Roy Thomas Baker’s top credits before working as a producer for Cheap Trick were with Queen and The Cars. And you can hear remnants of the sound of both of those bands on “She’s Tight”.
The sharply rendered backing vocals are reminiscent of how Queen would deliver layer upon layer of voices. And the way that there’s a kind of mathematical crispness to the recording calls to mind The Cars. The song came courtesy of Rick Nielsen, whose ability to coax melodic twists out of a blistering pace is evident here.
“I Can’t Take It” from ‘Next Position Please’ (1983)
It’s a huge head-scratcher how this one didn’t even make the Top 40 upon its release in 1983. Maybe the fact that it was chosen for the second single instead of the first could account for that.
In any case, “I Can’t Take It” shows what a smart idea it was for Cheap Trick, known for their excellence in the power pop realm, to team up with producer Todd Rundgren, the OG in that genre. The churning guitars, the gleaming harmonies, the relentless forward momentum… Not a moment of this track is false or wasted.
“Tonight It’s You” from ‘Standing On The Edge’ (1985)
Most folks know that Cheap Trick started to rely on outside writers in the latter half of the 80s, which helped them notch some major hits. They actually started that process to an extent on their 1985 album Standing On The Edge, when the band’s chief writers (Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander) received some assistance from writer-for-hire Mark Radice on most of the songs. One of those Cheap Trick songs is “Tonight It’s You”.
It’s a very cool ballad, segueing from dreamy verses to a soaring chorus via some crunching guitars.
“Ghost Town” from ‘Lap Of Luxury’ (1988)
Cheap Trick wasn’t the only band with a strong history of original material to start using outside writers as the 80s wore on. (Heart, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, just to name a few, joined them.) They might have been the band that enjoyed the most suddenly unexpected success out of the batch when “The Flame”, written by Nick Graham and Bob Mitchell, soared to the top of the charts.
“Ghost Town” comes from the same album (Lap Of Luxury) and the unlikely duo of Rick Nielsen and Diane Warren. It’s a subtler song and slides easily into a throwback ballad vibe, thanks to Robin Zander’s standout vocals.
Photo by Martin Thompson
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