Back 'n Blue
"Back 'n Blue" is a song by the American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1990 as the opening track on their eleventh studio album Busted. It was written by Taylor Rhodes, Robert A. Johnson, Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander, and produced by Richie Zito.[1]
| "Back 'n Blue" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Cheap Trick | |
| from the album Busted | |
| Released | 1990 |
| Genre | Rock, power pop |
| Length | 4:42 |
| Label | Epic Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Taylor Rhodes Robert A. Johnson Rick Nielsen Robin Zander |
| Producer(s) | Richie Zito |
Although not released as a single, "Back 'n Blue" gained enough airplay to reach No. 32 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.[2]
Critical reception edit
In a review of Busted, Ivan Brunet of the Nanaimo Daily News described the song as "a rockin[g] number that's got that Keith Richards open-tune five-string sound down cold".[3] Chuck Dean of Rolling Stone considered it to be a "typical get-ready-for-the-weekend-and-love-me-dammit prototype".[4]
Barbara Jaeger of The Record noted, "Outright rockers such as 'Back 'n Blue' and a cover of 'Rock 'n' Roll Tonight' are sizzlers."[5] George Smith of The Morning Call commented, "Numbers like 'Back 'n Blue', the title track and 'I Can't Understand It' blow fuses better than anything on Lap of Luxury."[6]
In a 2010 retrospective of Busted, Michael Fortes of Popdose wrote, "'Back 'n Blue' [has] some moderately cool rock guitar riffage, some well placed na-na-na's and a tough Robin Zander vocal. The title of the song continued CT's tradition of having fun with words, but the song itself didn't reflect that fun. It plodded, and probably would have been better off in the hands of Bon Jovi."[7]
Personnel edit
Cheap Trick
- Robin Zander - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Rick Nielsen - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Tom Petersson - bass, backing vocals
- Bun E. Carlos - drums, percussion
Production
- Richie Zito - producer
- Mike Shipley - mixing
- George Marino - mastering
Charts edit
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock[2] | 32 |
References edit
- ^ "Cheap Trick - Busted at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ a b "Cheap Trick Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
- ^ Brunet, Ivan (August 24, 1990). "Music Update: Cheap Trick bounces back on Busted". Nanaimo Daily News. p. 18.
- ^ Chuck Dean (August 23, 1990). "Busted". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ Jaeger, Barbara (August 30, 1990). "Quick Spins: More than an echo of Whitney Houston". The Record. p. E6.
- ^ Smith, George (September 1, 1990). "Records". The Morning Call. p. A64.
- ^ "Flashback '90: Cheap Trick, "Busted"". Popdose. 2010-06-28. Retrieved 2012-03-13.