What Are the 5 Biggest U.S. Hits by REO Speedwagon?

It looks like we may have seen the end of REO Speedwagon as a unit. The three core members with ownership stakes in the group were dealing with disagreements among them that couldn’t be rectified, which is why lead singer Kevin Cronin now tours under his own name (although he plays Speedwagon music).

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Well, if this ending is final, you can certainly say that these arena rock legends have given us their all. To that point, here’s a rundown of their five biggest hits on the U.S. pop charts.

“That Ain’t Love” (No. 16 in 1987)

The arena rock bands that ruled the late ‘70s and early ‘80s struggled to maintain momentum in the second half of the ‘80s, and REO Speedwagon was no exception. Their 1987 album Life as We Know It was their last gasp when it came to major airplay. They actually knocked out a couple of Top-20 hits in “That Ain’t Love” and “In My Dreams.” The former did a little better, and it features a bit of the group’s old hard-rocking spunk. After Life as We Know It, lead guitarist Gary Richrath, an integral part of their success, left the band.

“Keep the Fire Burnin’” (No. 7 in 1982)

It’s one of the oldest stories in rock and roll. A band comes through with a breakthrough album, and then the record company wants more of the same—and they want it in a hurry. That haste could be part of the reason that REO’s 1982 record Good Trouble failed to meet expectations. Even the band largely distanced themselves from the record in subsequent years. But at least “Keep the Fire Burnin’,” an upbeat, uptempo slab of catchy positivity, kept them standing strong on pop radio until they could retrench.

“Take It on the Run” (No. 4 in 1980)

Like a lot of bands that came of age in the ‘70s, REO Speedwagon originally possessed prog-rock tendencies. Not all of those bands were able to adjust on the fly like these guys were, streamlining their sound for the new wave/arena rock era. “Take It on the Run” includes some guitar pyrotechnics in the break from Gary Richrath. But the story, which features a narrator harboring suspicions about his lover, is given the spotlight. Great opening lines: Heard it from a friend who / Heard it from a friend who / Heard it from another you’ve been messing around.

“Can’t Fight This Feeling” (No. 1 in 1984)

Even bands who’d had success with slow ones still tended to believe they had to put the rocker out there first. REO released the somewhat forgettable raver “I Do’ Wanna Know” as the first single from their 1984 album Wheels Are Turnin’. Then came “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” which once again proved their ballad game was stellar. Cronin sings passionately about the nether regions between a passion that can’t be squelched and the realization that letting it out in the open might not help anybody.

“Keep On Loving You” (No. 1 in 1980)

REO Speedwagon found their biggest success when they decided to reflect upon their personal lives in their music. Not for nothing was their 1980 album called Hi Infidelity. The band’s life out on the road, where they were surrounded by temptation, wasn’t exactly a great thing for existing romances. With “Keep On Loving You,” Cronin turned this scenario around, as the guy is the one waiting around for the other shoe to fall. Richrath provides an all-timer of a guitar solo. On the short list of the very best power ballads of that era.

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