"Surrender"
Single by Cheap Trick
from the album Heaven Tonight
B-side"Auf Wiedersehen"
ReleasedJune 1978
Recorded1977
GenrePower pop[1]
Length4:12
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Rick Nielsen[2]
Producer(s)Tom Werman
Cheap Trick singles chronology
"So Good to See You"
(1978)		 "Surrender"
(1978)		 "California Man"
(1978)

"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. 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 concerts at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo in April 1978 which were recorded for Cheap Trick at Budokan, the group's most popular album.[3][4]

Content

"Surrender" is a late 1970s teen anthem, describing the relations between the baby boomer narrator and his G.I. Generation parents. His mother frequently warns him about the girls he will meet, as he will never know what diseases he will catch from them, as exemplified by a rumor about "a soldier's [penis] falling off" as a result of "some Indonesian junk that's going around". The mother's expertise on such matters is endorsed by the father, who states that she served with the WACs in the Philippines, a claim which amazes the narrator, who had been under the impression the WACs only recruited "old maids" (and "Mommy isn't one of those"). The narrator then describes how his parents are weirder and hipper than many teens 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") This mention was a thank you by Cheap Trick who got a career boost by opening concerts for Kiss during the 1977 Love Gun Tour.[5]

Reception

Cash Box said it has "energetic drumming and excellent rhythm guitar work" and that "the singing is intriguing and melodic."[6] Record World predicted that it "could easily make it to the top of the pop charts with its catchy teenage refrain."[7]

In the 2007 book Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide, a section on Cheap Trick featured reviews on the top 20 stand-out tracks from the band. One track included was "Surrender", where the author John M. Borack wrote "A no-brainer selection, to be sure, but since I believe that it's clinically impossible to get tired of this rock and roll funhouse, it belongs here. A stone classic for the ages."[8]

Rolling Stone deemed it "the ultimate Seventies teen anthem" and ranked it number 471 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2010, number 465 in 2004, and number 365 in 2021.[9][10] Classic Rock critic Malcolm Dome rated it as Cheap Trick's 2nd best song, saying that "the band found their mark and rhythm, mixing creative musicianship with a teen-friendly melody, all done with an effective eccentricity."[11] Classic Rock History critic Michael Quinn also rated it Cheap Trick's second-best song.[12]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1978) Peak
position
Australia (KMR)[13] 32
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[14] 5
Canada (RPM) 79
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 12
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[16] 62
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 83

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Runtagh, Jordan (April 8, 2014). "Catchy, Loud and Proud: 20 Essential Power Pop Tracks That Will Be Stuck In Your Head Forever". VH1. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  2. ↑ "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  3. ↑ BUDOKAN! (30th Anniversary DVD+3CDs) insert booklet (Media notes).
  4. ↑ McLane, D. (June 14, 1979). "Cheap Trick Finds Heaven". Rolling Stone. p. 49.
  5. ↑ "Surrender". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  6. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 24, 1978. p. 20. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  7. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. June 24, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  8. ↑ Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action – The Ultimate Guide To Power Pop. Shake Some Action – PowerPop. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-97977-140-8.
  9. ↑ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  10. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  11. ↑ Dome, Malcolm (June 28, 2016). "The top 10 best Cheap Trick songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  12. ↑ Quinn, Michael (16 June 2022). "Top 10 Cheap Trick Songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  13. ↑ "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Radio2 top 30: 8 oktober 2016 | Radio2". Top30-2.radio2.be. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Cheap Trick" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  16. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 158.
  17. ↑ "British single certifications – Cheap Trick – Surrender". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
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