Let Go (Cheap Trick song)
| "Let Go" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Cheap Trick | ||||
| from the album Lap of Luxury | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Rock, Power Pop | |||
| Length | 4:27 | |||
| Label | Epic Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Rick Nielsen, Todd Cerney | |||
| Producer(s) | Richie Zito | |||
| Cheap Trick singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Let Go" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, released as the fourth single from their commercially successful 1988 album Lap of Luxury. The song was written by guitarist Rick Nielsen and American songwriter/musician Todd Cerney, who also co-wrote the Lap of Luxury album track "Wrong Side of Love" and the 1994 Woke up with a Monster album track/single "Didn't Know I Had It".[1]
The song peaked at #35 on the American Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.[2] The song was not edited and remained the same length as the full album version.
The song was produced by Richie Zito who had produced the entire Lap of Luxury album[3] as well as the band's follow-up 1990 album Busted.[4]
Background
Considered as the band's comeback album following the commercial failure of the 1986 album The Doctor, Lap of Luxury spawned three top 40 hit singles and one minor hit single. "The Flame" topped the American Billboard Hot 100 whilst a cover of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel" peaked at #4. After the third single, "Ghost Town" peaked at #33, "Let Go" appeared on the Mainstream Rock chart.
No music video was created for the song although unofficial footage exists of the band performing the track live on numerous occasions around the time of the album's release.[5][6][7][8]
Track listing
- Promo Track
- "Let Go" - 4:27
Critical reception
Ira Robbins of Rolling Stone Magazine called it a "first-rate, a tough-talking put-down with a honking horn bridge and a guitar hook that is reminiscent of the Beatles' 'If I Needed Someone.'"[9] Robbins also wrote for Trouser Press that "Let Go" gets Lap of Luxury off to a "fine start."[10] Music writers Mike Hayes and Ken Sharp compare the song's riff to another Beatles' song, saying that "Let Go"'s riff combines that of "Day Tripper" with the riff of Cheap Trick's own song "I Don't Love Here Anymore."[11] Hayes and Sharp credit the song with "a catchy chorus, understated piano work and an unexpected sax break."[11]
Chart performance
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart[2] | 35 |
Personnel
- Robin Zander - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Rick Nielsen - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Tom Petersson - bass, backing vocals
- Bun E. Carlos - drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Richie Zito - Producer
- Phil Kaffel - Engineer, mixer
- Jim Champagne - Second engineer
- Bernard Frings - Second engineer
- Mike Tacci - Second engineer
- Bob Vogt - Second engineer
- Toby Wright - Second engineer
- Writers of "Let Go" – Rick Nielsen, Todd Cerney
References
- ↑ "Cheap Trick - Woke Up With A Monster (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- 1 2 "Cheap Trick". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ↑ "Cheap Trick - Lap Of Luxury at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ↑ "Cheap Trick - Busted at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ↑ "Let Go - Live Houston Astrodome 1989 - Cheap Trick". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ↑ "Cheap Trick - Let Go - Universal Ampitheatre [sic] 1988". YouTube. 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ↑ "Cheap Trick - Let Go". YouTube. 2008-02-17. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ↑ "Cheap Trick - Let Go - 87". YouTube. 2009-08-01. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ↑ Robbins, Ira (1988-06-02). "Lap Of Luxury | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ↑ Robbins, Ira. "Cheap Trick". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
- 1 2 Hayes, M.; Sharp, K. (1998). Reputation Is a Fragile Thing. Poptastic. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-9662081-0-8.