Cheap Trick – “I Want You To Want Me” Live

Cheap Trick – “I Want You To Want Me” Live | Society Of Rock Videos

I’m Putting On A Brand New Shirt Too!

“I Want You to Want Me” was written by Rick Nielsen and recorded by Cheap Trick in 1977. It was released on October 31, 1977 for their second studio album, “In Color.” This song has a pretty intriguing back story. According to Cheap Trick bass player Tom Petersson, Nielsen wrote it as a joke. He wanted to do a heavy version of pop music like an over-the-top ABBA song.

  • Number 7 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
  • Number 29 in the UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)
  • Certified Gold by the RIAA

Producer Tom Werman explains:

‘“I Want You To Want Me” was a fabulous dancehall type of song, and a perfect pop tune, and it was meant to be a little campy.

There were slight differences between the live and studio version. The former has a higher tempo and two guitar solos. The latter, on the other hand, has an echo in the line “Didn’t I, didn’t I, didn’t I see you cryin’ (cryin)” and the second instrumental used was a piano.

Another great feature is that not many rock songs begin with the chorus!

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