Heaven Tonight

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Heaven Tonight
Heaven Tonight cover
Studio album by Cheap Trick
Released January 30, 1978
September 29, 1998 (reissue)
Recorded 1977-1978
Genre Hard rock, powerpop
Length 43:42
52:37 (reissue)
Label Epic/Legacy
Producer Tom Werman
Professional reviews
Cheap Trick chronology
In Color
(1977)
Heaven Tonight
(1978)
At Budokan
(1979)

Heaven Tonight is Cheap Trick's third album, released in 1978. The album was remastered and released with bonus tracks on Sony's Epic/Legacy imprint in 1998.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Heaven Tonight is considered Cheap Trick's best album by many fans and critics. While their debut album Cheap Trick showed the band's darker, rawer side and In Color showed their lighter, poppier side, Heaven Tonight combined both elements to produce a hook-filled pop-rock album with an attitude. Popular songs from this album include the anthemic "Surrender", "Auf Wiedersehen", the title track, and a cover of The Move's "California Man".

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Rick Nielsen, except where noted.

  1. "Surrender" – 4:16
  2. "On Top of the World" – 4:01
  3. "California Man" (Roy Wood) – 3:44
  4. "High Roller" (Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson, Robin Zander) – 3:58
  5. "Auf Wiedersehen" (Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson) – 3:42
  6. "Takin' Me Back" – 4:52
  7. "On the Radio" – 4:33
  8. "Heaven Tonight" (Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson) – 5:25
  9. "Stiff Competition" – 3:40
  10. "How Are You?" (Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson) – 4:21
  11. "Oh Claire" (Bun E. Carlos, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson, Robin Zander) – 1:10

[edit] Bonus tracks (1998 Reissue)

  1. "Stiff Competition" (Outtake) – 4:03
  2. "Surrender" (Outtake) – 4:52

[edit] Singles (Side A/Side B)

  • (1978) "Surrender/Auf Wiedersehen" - #62 US
  • (1978) "California Man/Stiff Competition"
  • (1978) "California Man/I Want You To Want Me"

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Additional personnel

[edit] Background information

This was the second Cheap Trick album to feature Robin Zander and Tom Petersson on the front cover and Bun E. Carlos and Rick Nielsen on the back. While the front cover has Zander and Petersson standing in front of a nondescript background, the back cover reveals that they are standing inside a public restroom where Nielsen is brushing his teeth and Carlos is fixing his tie in the mirror. Nielsen has a cassette copy of the band's previous album, In Color sticking out of his back pocket.

"Surrender" was the only song from this album released on the original version of the 1979 live album At Budokan.

"Oh Claire" is a one-minute live jam with "Oh, Konnichiwa" as the only lyrics. The title is a pun on Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where the band used to play frequently in their pre-stardom days. Cheap Trick wrote a similarly titled song, "O Claire," for their 2006 album Rockford.

"Surrender" is featured as a playable song on the video game Guitar Hero II.

[edit] Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1978 Billboard Pop Albums 48

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1978 "Surrender" Billboard Pop Singles 62

[edit] Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA – USA Gold 1979-01-16
RIAA – USA Platinum 1995-02-10
Languages