Cheap Trick didn't want their only number-one song released

Cheap Trick enjoyed modest success in the late 1970s and early 1980s with iconic hits such as "I Want You to Want Me," "Voices," "Dream Police," and "Surrender." Their signature sound was unique in rock and roll, and it worked well for them.

As rock and roll evolved in the mid-eighties, moving more toward style and appearance and away from substance, Cheap Trick struggled to fit in. Outside of the excellent song "Tonight's It's You" in 1985, the band saw little success. Even that song only peaked at 44 on the Billboard charts, despite decent airplay on MTV.

By the end of the decade, the band was barely relevant. In 1987, they were putting together the album Lap of Luxury." Label executives felt they needed a boost from outside writers, something the band had never relied on before. They present to the band two songs - "The Flame" and "Look Away."

Cheap Trick originally did not want "The Flame" to appear on an album

According to Gary Graff of Ultimate Classic Rock, guitarist Rick Nielsen yanked the cassette from the tape player and fired it across the room, evidently in disgust. The band didn't like the feel of the song and didn't feel it had any substance, but the executives held firm and made them choose one of the two songs for the album. They eventually choose "The Flame" and the rest is history.

"The Flame" became the band's only number-one hit, and "Look Away" went to number one as well, but with the band Chicago performing it. Despite Cheap Trick's attitude toward the song, it is a beautiful power ballad, and Robin Zander's lead vocals seem a perfect fit.

This song served as a springboard for the band's rejuvenation. After hitting the top spot for two weeks with "The Flame," the band had their second-highest charting song a few months later. A remake of the Elvis Presley classic "Don't Be Cruel" peaked at number four, followed by another hit in "Ghost Town," which climbed as high as 33. In 1990, "Can't Stop Falling Into Love" peaked at number 12, and "Wherever Would I Be" hit number 50.

Usually, the artists know what is in their best interests, but occasionally, there is a story like this one where the label executives get it right. The band may have been forced into recording "The Flame," but we're all glad they did.

The history of rock and roll is full of these little stories, and we cannot imagine "The Flame" being performed by anyone but Cheap Trick.

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