Greg Prato reports for Songfacts:
It's their biggest hit, but Cheap Trick didn't play "The Flame" when they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016, opting instead for "I Want You To Want Me," "Dream Police," "Surrender," and their cover of "Ain't That A Shame." (Fun fact: they were inducted by Kid Rock.) The song is a classic power ballad, trading the lust and wild abandon of their previous hits for this:
Another night slowly closes in
And I feel so lonely
Touching heat freezing on my skin
I pretend you still hold me
Cheap Trick didn't write the song (the songwriters Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham did), and they didn't like it, but an executive at their label, Epic Records, convinced them it would be a hit.
Bun E. Carlos, the band's original drummer, told us the story in a 2023 interview. The label exec was Don Grierson, who had placed the song "What About Love" with Heart, sparking their turnaround in the '80s.
"He called us up in early '87 when it was time to start another record," Carlos explained. "Cheap Trick and the label hadn't been getting along great. There had been some bad blood in the last few years. The label would call us up and say, 'There's no single on the record.'"
The band had been hitless since 1979, and Epic was getting impatient. On their 1986 album, The Doctor, the label foisted a song on them called "Kiss Me Red," written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, the guys who wrote "Like A Virgin" and "True Colors." But Steinberg and Kelly couldn't do for Cheap Trick what they did for Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. The song stiffed and the group's fortunes continued to fade.
Don Grierson entered the picture for their next album, Lap Of Luxury.
"Don goes, 'I've got about 12 songs with me, and I think they're all good singles candidates. I got a couple that I know are going to be #1 - and they're both ballads. Demo some tunes with me.'"
Those two songs were "The Flame" and "Look Away."
"He goes, 'I'll give you first pick. The other one I'm going to give to Chicago.' He played us 'Look Away' first, and we were like, Eh. Then he plays us 'The Flame,' and we're like, 'Well, that ain't as bad as the first one.'"
By this time, bass player Tom Petersson, a founding member, had returned to Cheap Trick after leaving in 1980. The rest of their lineup was Carlos, guitarist Rick Nielsen, and lead singer Robin Zander.
"Rick was like, 'I really hate this,' And me, Tom, and Robin were like, 'We're not crazy about this either... but #1 you say?'"
Read more at Songfacts.com.
