Songoftheday 3/15/16 - Well you know I can be found sitting all alone, if you can't come around at least please telephone...

"Don't Be Cruel" - Cheap Trick
from the album Lap Of Luxury (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 12

Today's song of the day is by the American power-pop rock band Cheap Trick, who made a big comeback in the late 80's by going the straight-and-narrow route with the power-ballad "The Flame", which topped the U.S. pop chart in July of 1988. For the follow-up the group released a cover of one of the biggest hits of all-time, by the biggest artist of all-time, Elvis Presley. "Don't Be Cruel", written by Otis Blackwell (who gave up sole writing credit to have Presley record the song), was one-half of "The King"'s longest stay at #1, spending 11 weeks in 1956 as the double-A side to "Hound Dog"...

By the 1980's the song got a resurgence when country duo the Judds took their cover of the song to #10 on the country chart in 1987...

The Cheap trick version didn't stray much from the original, aside from some spacey Cars-like "ooohs" and "bops" in the background and a more pronounced guitar pick from Rick Nielsen. It was an odd choice for a radio hit in that time, but at the time mainstream radio was getting pretty quirky itself, and the theme of being stood up for a date is universal...

Cheap Trick's "Don't Be Cruel" became the band's third and so-far last top-ten pop hit in October of 1988. The single also climbed to #8 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock radio chart, and even crossed over to their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") list at #32.

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Aside from Cheap Trick, many artists had success with the song. In fact, Elvis' original bassist Bill Black and his Combo released an instrumental of the track that went to #9 on the R&B chart, #11 on the Pop chart, and #32 in England in 1960...

In 1963, pioneering electric blues artist Barbara Lynn slipped in at #93 with her take on "Don't Be Cruel"...

American "blue-eyed" soul singer Billy Swan had an international hit with his cover, which went to #4 in Switzerland, #18 in France, and #26 in Germany in 1975...

...and back to Cheap Trick, live in concert in 1989...

Up tomorrow. Same title, different book from his departed R&B boy-bander.