Never Had a Lot to Lose
"Never Had a Lot to Lose" is a song by the American rock band Cheap Trick, released in 1989 as the fifth and final single from their tenth studio album Lap of Luxury. It was written by lead vocalist Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson, and produced by Richie Zito.[3] The song reached No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]
| "Never Had a Lot to Lose" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Cheap Trick | ||||
| from the album Lap of Luxury | ||||
| B-side | "All We Need Is a Dream" | |||
| Released | January 1989 (US)[1] April 1989 (Australia)[2] | |||
| Genre | Rock, power pop | |||
| Length | 3:22 | |||
| Label | Epic Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Robin Zander, Tom Petersson | |||
| Producer(s) | Richie Zito | |||
| Cheap Trick singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Never Had a Lot to Lose" was released in United States and Australia only on 7" vinyl.[1][2] The B-side, "All We Need is a Dream", was taken from Lap of Luxury, and was written by Gregg Giuffria, Rick Nielsen and Zander. A promotional one-track CD version of the single was also issued in the US.[5]
Recalling the writing of the song, Petersson stated in the Cheap Trick biography Reputation is a Fragile Thing that he and Zander "sat down [and] did a track. We put the lyrics together as we were doing it in a demo studio. That was fun."[6] A music video was filmed to promote the single.[7] A live version of the song was performed at the band's 25th anniversary concert in Rockford, Illinois during 1999. The concert was later released in 2001 as Silver.[8]
Critical reception
Upon release, Billboard listed the song as a recommended single under the "Pop" category and described it as a "lively power rocker" and a "definite highlight" from Lap of Luxury.[9] In the review of Lap of Luxury, Steve Huey of AllMusic described the song as a "catchy hard rocker."[10] Ira Robbins of Trouser Press described the song as "durable" and one of the few bright spots of Lap of Luxury.[11] Music writers Mike Hayes and Ken Sharp call the song a "gem" and "an up-tempo commercial rocker, featuring a classic Cheap trick riff". They highlighted it as possibly the best song on Lap of Luxury.[6] In the 2007 book Shake Some Action - The Ultimate Guide to Power Pop, author John M. Borack described the song as the "crown jewel of the record".[12]
Track listing
- 7" Single
- "Never Had a Lot to Lose" - 3:22
- "All We Need is a Dream" - 3:40
Chart performance
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 Chart[4] | 75 |
Personnel
- Cheap Trick
- 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, Bernard Frings, Mike Tacci, Bob Vogt, Toby Wright - second engineers
References
- "Cheap Trick - Never Had A Lot To Lose / All We Need Is A Dream - Epic - USA - 34-68563". 45cat. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
- "Cheap Trick - Never Had A Lot To Lose / All We Need Is A Dream - Epic - Australia - 654675 7". 45cat. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
- "Cheap Trick - Lap Of Luxury at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- "Cheap Trick Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
- "Cheap Trick - Never Had A Lot To Lose (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
- Hayes, M. & Sharp, K. (1998). Reputation Is a Fragile Thing. Poptastic. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-9662081-0-8.
- "Never Had A Lot To Lose - Cheap Trick". YouTube. 2009-07-04. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- "Cheap Trick - Silver at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- Billboard magazine - Single reviews - February 11, 1989 - page 71
- Huey, Steve. "Lap of Luxury - Cheap Trick". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- Robbins, Ira. "Cheap Trick". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
- Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action - The Ultimate Guide To Power Pop - John M. Borack - Google Books. ISBN 9780979771408. Retrieved 2018-03-02.