Rough Boy
"Rough Boy" is a song by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released by Warner Bros. Records in the US in March 1986, as the third single from their ninth studio album, Afterburner. The song reached No. 5 on the Album Rock Tracks chart and No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as No. 23 in the UK Singles Chart. Unlike the other songs on the album, this song has a much slower tempo and is more of a power ballad. It also shares a similar tune to their song "Leila", from their seventh studio album, El Loco.
| "Rough Boy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by ZZ Top | ||||
| from the album Afterburner | ||||
| B-side | "Delirious" | |||
| Released | March 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Bill Ham | |||
| ZZ Top singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Rough Boy" on YouTube | ||||
Background
Dusty Hill said in 2007, "'Rough Boy' is a pretty li'l song. We're doin' it this tour. We pulled it back out. I like that song so much, I had it played at my wedding."[1]
Reception
Cash Box called it a "rapturous teen ballad" in which "the band turns its leather-tough into pure silk."[2]
Music video
The music video (directed by Steve Barron[3]) features the band's "Eliminator" car/spaceplane hybrid (from the Afterburner album cover) visiting a space car wash, interspersed with images of the band members' hands and faces, as well as a woman's legs, protruding from metal plates, some of which double as lighted message signs or crosswalk signals.
Charts
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 22 |
| US Billboard Album Rock Tracks | 5 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[4] | 58 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 81 |
| French Singles Chart[5] | 22 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 38 |
| UK Singles Chart | 23 |
Personnel
- Billy Gibbons - guitar, lead vocals
- Dusty Hill - bass, keyboard, backing vocals
- Frank Beard - drums
References
- ^ Tripplet, Gene (March 8, 2007). "On the road or recording, ZZ Top still ready to rock". The Oklahoman.
- ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. March 29, 1986. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ "ZZ Top - 'Rough boy'". MVDBase.com (video). ASG. 1998–2017. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
- ^ Peaked on RPM 100 Singles Chart on May 31, 1986
- ^ Steffen Hung. "ZZ Top Singles". lescharts.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022.