"Surrender" | |
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Single by Cheap Trick | |
from the album Heaven Tonight | |
B-side | "Auf Wiedersehen" |
Released | June 1978 |
Format | 7" |
Recorded | 1977 |
Genre | Rock, power pop |
Length | 4:12 |
Label | Epic |
Writer(s) | Rick Nielsen |
Producer | Tom Werman |
"Surrender" is a single by Cheap Trick released in June 1978 from the album Heaven Tonight. It was the first Cheap Trick single to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 62. But it was a hit single in Japan and its success in Japan, as well as the success of its preceding singles "Clock Strikes Ten" and "I Want You to Want Me", paved the way for Cheap Trick's famous concerts at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo in April 1978 that were recorded for the group's most popular album Cheap Trick at Budokan.[1][2] It is ranked #465 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Contents |
It is a late 1970s teen anthem, describing the relations between the baby boomer narrator and his G.I. generation parents. The narrator describes how his parents are weirder and hipper than many children would believe. For example, the narrator describes how he discovers his "mom and dad are rolling on the couch" and listening to his Kiss records late at night ("rolling numbers, rock-and-rolling, got my Kiss records out").[3]
The counter-choral of "We're all alright!", repeated four times in the final chorus of the song, has become an audience favorite, with the band members often leading the entire audience in numerous, shouted repetitions of the phrase. In a 2008 interview, Rick Nielsen stated: "When I wrote the song, the 'we're all alright' was originally only intended to refer to the four of us; that's why it comes right after the 'Bun-E/Tom/Robin/Rick's alright' section. After we started playing it live however, I came to realize that, to our audience, it was inclusive of all of us - our generation; that we're ALL alright, we survived the 60s & Vietnam & Nixon & everything, and we're all still here, playing music and having fun. That's when we started playing with it a little in concert; I'll tell ya, you get 50 - 60 thousand people screaming 'WE'RE ALL ALRIGHT!' in unison, that's a pretty positive affirmation!" Cheap Trick still performs this song, and Nielsen often throws Kiss records to the audience in live performances at the moment Kiss is mentioned in the song.
Steel Pole Bath Tub covered "Surrender" in 1996, along with its original B-side "Auf Wiedersehen."[4] Terrorvision recorded "Surrender" as a B-Side to their single "Middleman". Velvet Revolver also released a cover as a B side to their single "Fall To Pieces".
Green Day covered the song along with "Bastards of Young" by The Replacements in a live medley called the "The Midwest Medley"[5]
Warrant included the song on their 2001 album Under the Influence.[6] Union performed the song live on their second album, Live from the Galaxy, and American Hi-Fi recorded it live to the delight of its Japanese audience on their album Live from Tokyo.[7][8] Psychotic Youth covered the song on their 2000 album Stereoids.[9] Less Than Jake covered the song on their 2003 album Anthem and The Manges covered it on the 2005 album Acid Beaters.[10][11] Gluecifer included a version on their 2009 album B-Sides & Rarities 1994-2005.[12] Ryan Roxie performed "Surrender" on the Cheap Trick tribute album Cheap Dream: A Tribute to Cheap Trick.[13]
Cheap Trick's version of "Surrender" was also included on the soundtracks for the films Small Soldiers and Over the Edge.[14][15] Simple Plan recorded a version for the soundtrack of Fantastic Four.[16]
Chart (1978) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 62 |
Canadian RPM Top Singles | 79 |
Dutch Singles Chart (1979) | 9[17] |
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