Baby Needs Some Brand New Shoes

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Rockford, Illinois is not the first place (nor the second, or third, for that matter) that comes to mind when thinking of places that have produced iconic pieces of American history. Hailing from a town near Rockford that is even less exciting and a fraction of its size, it's surreal even for me to think that Rockford gave us such offerings as the original sock monkey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sock_monkey, the Rockford Peaches http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockford_Peaches featured in "A League of Their Own", and various parts that propel the airplanes we fly every day. However, Rockford's greatest gift to the world is without a doubt, Cheap Trick. The band was officially formed in 1974 by Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson, and Bun E. Carlos. To this day, I can't get enough of the 1977 album In Color. Rumor has it the band wasn't all that happy with the production of the album, saying that producer Tom Werman wanted to highlight the band's lighter, more pop-influenced side (exactly why I love it). While the album was only slightly more successful in the U.S. than their debut album Cheap Trick released earlier the same year, it gave them mega-star status in Japan. The Japanese media deemed them "The American Beatles", and after their 3rd record went gold there (though not here in the U.S.) the band was inspired to record Cheap Trick at Budokan (only intended for release in Japan, but eventually released in the U.S. by popular demand). Today I'm posting my all-time favorite Cheap Trick track, "Southern Girls" from In Color. The toe-tapping drum intro, the beautifully ringing power chords of the verse, and the hook-laden chorus never fail to keep me moving every time I hear it. It's a 70's power pop gem, but something about the simplicity of it takes me back to a simpler era of rock and roll. Enjoy!

Cheap Trick-Southern Girls