Surrender might just be my favorite rock and roll song ever, and it only ever got to #62 on the charts. I still get shivers every time Robin Zander snarls the line about his parents getting high and listening to Kiss. It’s got perfect counter-culture lyrics, and music starts strong but builds with energy, anxiety, and force until it explodes into a brilliant collapse at the end…”We’re all all right! We’re all all right!”
Further listening: The obvious other Cheap Trick GOAT is I Want You To Want Me. But they’re a terrific band with a lot of less-known, great rock songs. Like: Dream Police, If You Want My Love, Stop this Game, Way of the World, Voices…Yeah, I’m a fan.
So, where does this song fall in my running list of my personal 100 favorite songs ever? It’s tough. Before today, here was the list:
- Layla by Derek and the Dominoes (1970) (link)
- Better Things by The Kinks (1981) (link); and: Covers of the top 30 Kinks songs here and here
- Ironic by Alanis Morissette (1995) (link)
- Somebody Told Me by The Killers (2004)(link)
- Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Richard Hawley (2007) (link)
- Misfits by the Kinks (1978) (link); and: Covers of the top 30 Kinks songs here and here
- Grindin’ by Clipse (2002) (link)
- Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum (1969) (link)
I can’t really say that this song is better than Layla. And Surrender, Layla, and Better Things all give me chills…Hmm…I’m going to put it up at #2. Interesting. I’m a child of the ’80s musically, but my top two are ’70s tunes.
Covers:
