The Flame (Cheap Trick song)
Encyclopedia
"The Flame" is a hit power ballad by Cheap Trick
, released on July 25, 1988. The song was first offered to English
singer Elkie Brooks
, who turned it down. Written by Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham
, the song was initially released on Cheap Trick's Lap of Luxury
album. "The Flame" reached number one on the American
Billboard Hot 100
in 1988 when issued as a single; it also reached number one in Australia and Canada. The success of the song brought the group out of a years-long commercial slump and back into music industry prominence.
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
, released on July 25, 1988. The song was first offered to English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
singer Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
, who turned it down. Written by Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham
Nick Graham (musician)
Nick Graham is a British vocalist, songwriter, flautist, pianist and bassist. He was one of the original members of the British progressive rock band Atomic Rooster from 1969-1970.-Bands:...
, the song was initially released on Cheap Trick's Lap of Luxury
Lap of Luxury
-Singles :* "The Flame/Through the Night" - #1 US, #77 UK. #2 Aus, #3 BB Mainstream Rock* "Don't Be Cruel/I Know What I Want" - #4 US, #77 UK, #8 BB Mainstream Rock, #13 Aus* "Ghost Town/Wrong Side of Love" - #33 US...
album. "The Flame" reached number one on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1988 when issued as a single; it also reached number one in Australia and Canada. The success of the song brought the group out of a years-long commercial slump and back into music industry prominence.
Background
According to lead vocalist Robin Zander, "The band was very skeptical about performing this song live, because we only liked to perform songs written by us. However, a young man from, oh, I don't know, somewhere, confirmed to us after a show in Florida about a week after the song was released that the song was great and, get this, would be a #1 single. As we joked about the guy's prediction, we later realized whoa! This guy was right. I thank him for that."Chart performance
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Retail Sales Chart | 18 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Singles Chart | 32 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 11 |
| UK Singles Chart | 77 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart | 3 |
In Popular Culture
- "The Flame" was coveredCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
in 1998 by electronic dance musicElectronic dance musicElectronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
singer Erin HamiltonErin HamiltonErin Hamilton is an American electronic dance music singer. The daughter of actress Carol Burnett and TV Producer Joe Hamilton, she has scored several hits on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart...
. Included on her 1999 album One World, the song was a top-twenty hit on the U.S. Hot Dance Club PlayHot Dance Club PlayThe Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart. Nine years later, the song was remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed and re-released as "The Flame 08" and this version went to number one on the U.S. dance chart, becoming Hamilton's first chart-topper. - Other covers of "The Flame":- Jennifer Rush recorded the song in 1997 for her her album "Credo" released by EMI in that year. After the Rain (Virgin) was the first album by Irish girl group Bellefire, and this included a version of "The Flame", recorded in 2001. More recently Dare, fronted by ex - Thin Lizzy keyboard player Darren Wharton, recorded the song on their 2009 album Arc of the Dawn.
- In 2004, "The Flame" was performed on the second season of Australian IdolAustralian IdolAustralian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
by eventual winner Casey DonovanCasey Donovan (singer)-Australian Idol :Donovan transferred to the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney's Surry Hills in 2004 and it was in this year that her stepfather encouraged her to audition for the second season of Australian Idol...
on the Final 6 80's theme night. Donovan recorded the song as her cover song on the series cast album, Australian Idol Season 2 The Final 10 Cast Album.The Flame seemed an odd choice for Donovan's cover on the cast album because even though she was praised for the performance, there were several other performances where she received a "Touchdown" from judge Mark HoldenMark HoldenMark Holden is an Australian singer, television personality and barrister. He was one of a panel of three judges on the television series Australian Idol.-Acting career:...
and this wasn't one of them.After this performance, Donovan was placed in the Bottom two for the first time on the verdict show, which further adds to this being an odd choice for this to be her cast album cover.
- This song is also covered by Greg Bowler in his forthcoming (2010) album "Korean Karaoke Knights". It is closely aligned to the artist's established style of challenging established genre norms, being an acid houseAcid houseAcid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
fusion of Finnish humppaHumppaHumppa is a type of music from Finland. It is related to jazz and very fast foxtrot, played two beats to a bar . Typical speed is about 220 to 260 beats per minute. Humppa is also the name of a few social dances danced to humppa music. All dances involve bounce that follows the strong bass of the...
and reggaeReggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
.
- In The Looney Tunes ShowThe Looney Tunes ShowThe Looney Tunes Show is a packaged show, created for Cartoon Network, and broadcast from 2002 to 2005. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The show featured cartoon shorts from the original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon series produced from 1930 to 1969.-External links:...
episode, "Fish and Visitors", Yosemite SamYosemite SamYosemite Sam is an American animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The name is somewhat alliterative and is inspired by Yosemite National Park...
(voiced by Maurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarche is an Emmy Award winning Canadian-American voice actor and former stand up comedian. He is best known for his voicework in Futurama as Kif Kroker, as Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters, Verminous Skumm and Duke Nukem in Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Big Bob Pataki in Hey...
) briefly sings 'The Flame' on karaoke.
- In The One Tree Hill (TV Series)One Tree Hill (TV series)One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
episode "Forever and Almost Always" Peyton tells Haley that if she gets in trouble to quote song lyrics like "After the fire, after all the rain, I will be the flame."