CHEAP TRICK: If you want my love + Four Letter word [PROMO 1982] 7″ minor hit power ballad. Check video

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CHEAP TRICK if you want my love 7 inch uk epic 1982 B/W FOUR LETTER WORD (EPCA2406) PIC SLEEVE, PROMO DISC

minor hit power ballad

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“If You Want My Love” is a song by the American rock band Cheap Trick, released in 1982 as the first single from their sixth studio album One on One. It was written by guitarist Rick Nielsen and produced by Roy Thomas Baker.  It reached No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart,  and No. 2 in Australia.

The song was the first single release from the band to feature new bassist Jon Brant. A music video was filmed to promote the single, which received regular airing on MTV.  The single’s B-side, “Four Letter Word”, was featured as the closing track on One on One, and was written by Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander.

A live version of “If You Want My Love” was performed at the band’s 25th anniversary concert in Rockford, Illinois during 1999. The performance saw Brant rejoining Cheap Trick on stage to play bass on the track, along with “She’s Tight”.

The song is used in the films Joe Dirt and Super.

Critical reception:
Upon release, Billboard felt the song showed the more “romantic side” to the band and commented: “Robin Zander’s vocals is anything but timid though, while Rick Nielsen’s massed acoustic and electric guitars add widescreen scale.”  Cash Box wrote: “A dense yet extremely melodic confection, this tune marks somewhat of a return to the more Beatlesque sound which graced the band’s earlier LPs.”

Critic Robert Christgau described the song as “the most eloquently eclectic Beatle tribute ever recorded”.  Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone noted it was “easily Cheap Trick’s best slow song since ‘Take Me I’m Yours’ and a stunning example of what this band can do when it forgets about being commercial in these days when heavy metal rules the world.” Connelly also commented on the song’s “smashing guitar attack” and noted the similarity of the song’s middle eight to that of The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

In a review of the 1996 box set Sex, America, Cheap Trick, Billboard commented: “Cheap Trick never ceased producing the occasional Beatlesque gem, such as “If You Want My Love”…” 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. “If You Want My Love” was included, with the author John M. Borack writing: “Best ballad of the ’80s anyone? For sheer Lennon-meets-McCartney-head-on splendor, it’s damned hard to top. One of Zander’s finest leads ever, punctuated by his oh-so-Paulie ‘woooos’.”

Track listing
7″ single
“If You Want My Love” – 3:35
“Four Letter Word” – 3:39

Chart (1982) Peak position:
Australia (Kent Music Report)  2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 26
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)  57
US Billboard Hot 100 Chart 45
US Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart  11

Personnel:
Cheap Trick
Robin Zander – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Rick Nielsen – lead guitar, backing vocals
Jon Brant – bass, backing vocals
Bun E. Carlos – drums, percussion

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Ah…
Ah…

If you want my love you got it.
When you need my love you got it.
I won’t hide it.
I won’t throw your love away, oo.

If you want my love you got it.
When you need my love you got it.
I won’t hide it.
I won’t throw your love away, oo.

Yes, I thought you were a mystery girl,
A special girl in this crazy old world.
You couldn’t see me when I laid eyes on you.

‘Cause lonely is only a place.
You don’t know what its like…
You can’t fight it.
Its a hole in my heart, in my heart.

If you want my love you got it.
When you need my love you got it.
I won’t hide it.
I won’t throw your love away, oo.

You hold the secrets of love in this world.
I’m hypnotized by your ev’ry word.
A special face, a special voice,
A special smile in my life.

‘Cause lonely is only a place.
You don’t know what its like…
You can’t fight it.
Its a hole in my heart, in my heart.

If you want my love you got it.
When you need my love you got it.
I won’t hide it.
I won’t throw your love away, ooh.

If you want my love you got it.
When you need my love you got it.
I won’t hide it.
I won’t throw your love away, ooh.

If you want my love you got it.
When you need my love you got it.
You won’t hide it.
You won’t throw your love away, ooh.

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Cheap Trick: Why Aren’t They One of the Biggest Bands Ever?

Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame” is widely regarded as a quintessential rock n roll song. Through the years it’s been covered by artists from Pat Boone to Hank Williams Jr. — even John Lennon. Of all the covers, Domino’s favorite was the version by Cheap Trick. And it’s hard to disagree with him.

In a live recording from 1980, Cheap Trick performs the rock staple in front of a star-studded audience. The scene plays out as follows; Robin Zander walks out as the instrumental introduction coming to a close. Tom Petersson, whose hair is larger than life, is driving the crowd absolutely wild. Guitarist Rick Nielsen is running all over the stage like a kid off his medication. And remarkably for one of the first times in history, Bun E. Carlos is pounding his drums without a cigarette in his mouth. When the band kicks off, the energy is off the charts. A performance like that begs the question: “So why aren’t they HUGE?”

It was never about where the band came from; in fact, where they came from was a setback. A group from northern Illinois trying to make it in Wisconsin wasn’t exactly at the top of a record label’s list. If anything, those conditions fuelled rebellion on their part. To bust out of the obscurity of Rockford, Illinois would take something special. And they had it.

Their dynamic was simple but flawless. In front were Zander and Petersson. Zander proved to be a dynamic frontman with an incredible vocal range, rhythm guitar capabilities and the looks to carry him through. Petersson was the entire “Zander” package, only with brown hair and picking a four-string instead of a six. Together the two would line the front of Cheap Tricks’ albums for years to come.

Behind the curtain were two of the most unique figures in rock. Drummer Bun E Carlos looked like a chain-smoking insurance salesman but provided an energetic beat. The backbone of it all was guitarist Rick Nielsen, an enigma that words can never fully convey. His unorthodox wardrobe, eccentric guitar collection, and unprecedented energy were exactly what rock n roll is meant to be.

In 1974, the band set out to make a name after landing a record deal with Epic Records. When they burst on the scene, audiences weren’t entirely sure how to categorize them; They were… a bit of everything. They were rebellious but could write a sophisticated pop song. They cared about the music they played but didn’t care how they came off. They had pop appeal with the legitimacy of a bonafide rock group. Their first three albums embodied a raw sound that toed the line of power pop and the vigor of the upcoming punk scene.

1978’s live album Cheap Trick At Budokan jettisoned them into the spotlight. Fewer albums have captured the magic that Budokan did; it put the group on the map. The energy of the crowd was comparable to that of Beatlemania. Critics were quick to applaud Budokan and help elevate Cheap Trick’s status to top tier rock band. The group quickly followed up with their strongest and highest charting studio album: Dream Police.

Coming off the success of Budokan and Dream Police, Cheap Trick was able to successfully crossover and maintain their rock popularity. Not only was their AOR appeal fortuitous, but the timing of their ’80s peak was equally opportunistic. The ’80s produced some of their biggest hits in “If You Want My Love”, the Todd Rundgren-produced “I Can’t Take It”, and their first # 1 hit, “The Flame.” Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before their own flame started to fade.

Even with their success, the legacy of Cheap Trick has become a bit diluted. It seems they’ve become stuck in a purgatory of a “novelty band.” Their biggest hit, “I Want You To Want Me” has become synonymous with “bubble gum pop.” Some adolescent lyrics, such as “Surrender” haven’t resonated well. Even their biggest exposure came at a price: their theme song for That 70’s Show was merely a reimagining of Big Star’s “In The Street.”

As time passed, something had eluded the group; a trip to the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. The group patiently sat by the phone since their first year of eligibility in 1999. Zander and Petersson even admitted they were never sure if they were ever going to get in. Finally, in 2015, it was announced that Cheap Trick was nominated. Quickly, an online campaign emerged, enlisting the support of Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam. Cheap Trick was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame on April 8th, 2016.

Although the group finally got their due, their reputation still remains in play. Doubters will be quick to pin the group as too juvenile or commercial. But what makes Cheap Trick special is that they have one thing most groups strive to have: an identity. They never pretended to be anything they weren’t and killed it at everything that they were no matter how unconventional. Cheap Trick’s influence is perfectly summed up in an exchange between “Damone” and “Dena” in the 1982 movie classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Damone attempts to sell Dena a pair of tickets to a Cheap Trick concert. After her reluctance, Damone pleads “Can you honestly tell me that you forgot? Forgot the magnetism of Robin Zander? Or the charisma of Rick Nielsen?” Still not convinced Dena is quick to reply with “That’s kids stuff…”

To which Damone can only reply “Kids stuff? But what about the tunes?!?”