80's Guilt #37: Cheap Trick “Tonight It’s You” (1985)

Cheap Trick's "The Flame" seems fairly equivalent of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," power ballads that weren't written by the band themselves, released years after they had established themselves as badass rock dudes, and both became their only #1 singles. They're also far from the group's best, and not typically fan favorites. Especially in Cheap Trick's case, it ultimately seems to have turned into a curse on their live sets, as they've since felt an obligation to perform a song that they don't want to play, nor do their fans want to hear.

While "The Flame" isn't a horrible song, it simply doesn't present as many paradoxes and odd complexities as "Tonight It's You" from a few years earlier, which is why we've opted for its inclusion as a true guilty pleasure. (It's also probably their least popular song that made the cut for Cheap Trick's The Greatest Hits.)

"Tonight It's You" is noteworthy for its enormous pre-chorus and chorus sections, a HUGE payoff after drudging through a murky and completely forgettable intro and verse. In fact, the intro and verses are shitty enough (compared to the chorus) that if you haven't heard it in a few years, you might be convinced you're listening to the wrong song. (At least that's what happened to us.)