"Don't Be Cruel" by Cheap Trick

      How’s it goin’, friends? Thanks for tuning in once more to Kyle’s Radio Dial, our modest little parking space on the internet that brings you great tunes from the past that you deserve to hear again! Up on the turntable tonight, a top 10 hit from the comeback period of a legendary rock group that hadn’t enjoyed major chart success for nearly a decade prior. Tonight we turn the spotlight on Cheap Trick, and "Don’t Be Cruel"!

"Well, you know I can be found… sitting all alone… If you can’t come around, at least please telephone.

Hailing from Rockford, IL, and comprising of guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, vocalist Robin Zander, and drummer Bun E. Carlos, Cheap Trick didn’t really hit big in the U.S. until the band’s legendary 1978 "Cheap Trick at Budokan" live LP, which propelled the group into the higher reaches of the rock echelon. Hit tunes from this period like "Surrender" and "I Want You to Want Me" are still heard on classic hits stations to this day.

Though the Illinois boys had not logged time in the top 40 since 1979, when "Dream Police" and "Voices" peaked at US #26 and #32 respectively, 1988’s Lap of Luxury LP fueled a Cheap Trick comeback that was wholly unexpected, but greatly welcomed. The lead single was the chart topping ballad "The Flame", and to follow that up, this rockin’ cover tune was selected.

Originally a monster hit in 1956 for Elvis Presley, which topped the pop, country, and R&B charts, (can you imagine a song doing that today?) this classic tune also made it to US #11 pop in 1960 via an instrumental novelty cover by Bill Black’s Combo (affectionately referred to as the "percolator" version, seek it out to find out why), and in 1987 by mother-daughter duo The Judds, whose ballad style rendition reached #10 on the country singles charts in that year. Of note here, is that Naomi and Wynonna’s cover featured backing vocals by The Jordanaires, just as Elvis’ original did.

Cheap Trick’s amped up rendition rocketed to #4 pop and #8 rock, and successfully re-introduced the early rock and roll composition to teenagers more familiar with friendship bracelets and acid washed jeans than engineer boots and poodle skirts.

"Baby, if I made you mad… for something I might have said… please forget my past… the future looks bright ahead!"

Cheap Trick’s excellent video clip features an awesome black and white checkerboard pattern that carries over from the floor to Bun E.’s drum kit, Tom’s guitar, and Rick’s cool black & white skull shirt. In fact, only lead singer Robin is bucking this trend by wearing a colorful Mt. Rushmore themed coat.

There’s also a quartet of female backing vocalists playing the Jordanaires role… and a great closing scene in which Carlos invokes the King himself… "Bun E. Carlos has LEFT THE BUILDING!" (The guys do stop short of a line that ZZ Top would cross a few years later with the video for their 1992 cover of the King’s "Viva Las Vegas", in which the Texas blues rockers’ co-star with "Elvis’ ghost", whom is all decked out in a gold suit.)

"Don’t Be Cruel" came out at a time in which I was personally getting very interested in remakes and comparing current acts’ versions to the iconic classic tunes they were covering. I was well aware of Elvis’ original via oldies radio, not to mention my parents’ and grandparents’ vinyl record collections, so I was delighted to hear Cheap Trick tackle this classic rock n roll tune by bringing it into the contemporary sounds of the late 80s, while also expertly retaining the song’s pioneering rockabilly style.

"Let’s walk down to the preacher… let’s say ‘Hey, I do!’… and then I know you’ll want me, and you’ll know I want you too."

And here’s something else that’s pretty cool… at the same time that Cheap Trick’s tune was on the Billboard charts, so was a completely different tune with the exact same name. Ex-New Edition member Bobby Brown took his new jack swing jam "Don’t Be Cruel" (an original composition, penned by Babyface, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons) to US #8 pop and R&B #1. Both Cheap Trick’s and Brown’s songs debuted on the Hot 100 on Aug 20, 1988, and both occupied space in the top 10 on October 15th, (Trick at #4, Brown at #8), and again the following week on October 22nd, when CT fell to #9, and Bobby held at #8. A special Radio Dial "shout out" goes to fellow musicologist and all around great guy Greg Free for researching those dates for me! Thanks, Greg!

So give it a spin below to hear this classic act tackle this timeless tune. It’s a shame this is never played on the radio anymore (at least I never hear it) as it is truly due for a rediscovery by terrestrial radio stations. I’d like to think that even The King himself would approve.

"Don’t be cruel, to a heart that’s true… I don’t want no other love… baby, it’s just you I’m thinking of!"

 

 

 

 



TWO FER TUESDAY: Suzanne Vega with "Left of Center" and "99.9 F"

      Hi friends! I haven’t done this in a while, but sometimes I’m reminded of an artist that has TWO great songs that would be perfect fits for the Radio Dial. When this happens, I offer up both tunes on what is called a "Two Fer Tuesday". So without further ado, allow me to introduce Miss Suzanne Vega, and her tunes "Left of Center", and "99.9 F°".

Vega is best known in the U.S. for two big hits… the child abuse concerning "Luka", which hit US #3 in ’87, and the DNA remix of her own "Tom’s Diner" which danced it’s way to US #5 in 1990. Her original acoustic version of that same tune was taken from her 1987 LP Solitude Standing, which also contained "Luka".

Beginning with a folk base, and adding alternative pop, rock, and other influences, Suzanne became a critically acclaimed artist, but other than the two aforementioned hits, she didn’t crossover much into the mainstream. Now let’s explore two very worthwhile tunes from Ms. Vega’s catalog, shall we?

"If you want me… you can find me left of center, off of the strip…"

Recorded for the soundtrack to the 1986 John Hughes classic "Pretty in Pink", "Left of Center" reached UK #32, but did not chart in the U.S.

Featuring Joe Jackson ("Is She Really Going out with Him", "Stepping Out", etc.) on piano, Suzanne should have broken big with this college rock classic. Its mysterious vibe concerns a girl whom is a social outsider, yet is quietly pining for a guy she believes she shares a common bond with. She suspects the guy is also an outsider, as Suzanne declares

"Somewhere inside of us, we must be similar, if not the same."

She also does not hide her disdain for most other people, (probably the "popular" crowd, or maybe the older generation or authority figures, I assume) as stated in the line below…

"When they ask me… ‘What are you looking at’… I always answer ‘Nothing much’… I think they know that I’m looking at them… I think they think I must be out of touch."

I’ve often wondered if the character from "Toms’ Diner" is meant to be the same girl from "Left of Center". It seems quite plausible that the introspective outcast girl from "Left" would grow up to become the quiet woman observing the daily goings on at the diner…

　 

Now, as we leap forward from Left of Center six years, we find Vega’s second tune to gain the Dial’s spotlight, the title track from her 1992 LP "99.9 F°".

This sunscreen-necessitating title peaked reasonably well on the US modern rock chart at #13, yet never crossed over to the hot 100. It also made a small dent in the UK singles chart at #46.

"99.9 Fahrenheit degrees… stable now, with rising possibilities. It could be normal but it isn’t quite… could make you want to stay awake at night"

A song about seduction, "99.9 F°" finds Suzanne in the role of the seducer, as she puts the moves on a very lucky guy. Sensual, yet understated, the temperature in the title alludes to the increasing sexual tension between the couple.

Vega’s alternative folk sound is punctuated here with echoing vocals in the bridge, and a prominent two note "punch" that adds a distinct industrial rock inflection. For some reason, this percussion has always reminded me of the opening notes of INXS' 1987 US #2 hit "Devil Inside".

Fun random fact: I actually wrote this article this past December. As the bitter, frigid temps of the season were making me daydream of hot summer days, I found myself humming the refrain from "99.9 F°", which I immediately recognized as a worthwhile Dial subject. But then I also recalled how great of a tune "Left of Center" is as well, so I became conflicted. To solve that, I did the Two Fer Tuesday thing. So there ya go.

"You seem to me like a man on the verge of running… 99.9 Fahrenheit degrees."

So as you enjoy the sweltering heat of the summer months, perhaps you should listen to these songs in reverse order from how I’ve presented them. "99.9 F°" first to acknowledge the heat, then "Left of Center" to cool back down.

Either way, I hope you enjoy these tunes that really should have been additional top 40 hits in Suzanne’s discography. Make sure to stay tuned to the Dial for more great underrated tunes in the weeks and months to come!