That's Rock 'n' Roll

"That's Rock 'n' Roll" is a song written and originally recorded by Eric Carmen in 1976. It became a popular Billboard top 10 hit in 1977 for teen idol Shaun Cassidy.

"That's Rock 'n' Roll"
Single by Eric Carmen
from the album Eric Carmen
B-side"Great Expectations"
ReleasedMay 1976
Format45 RPM
Recorded1975
GenrePower pop
LabelArista Records
Songwriter(s)Eric Carmen
Producer(s)Jimmy Ienner
Eric Carmen singles chronology
"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again"
(1976)		 "That's Rock 'n' Roll"
(1976)		 "Sunrise"
(1976)

Eric Carmen version

Background

American pop rock artist Eric Carmen released his version of "That's Rock 'n' Roll" in some nations as the third single from his first eponymous debut album, Eric Carmen. The single's limited release did not include the United States. The song charted at number seven in Denmark. Parts of the song are autobiographical.

Carmen performed the song on the Midnight Special TV program on March 26, 1976.[1]

In 1988, "That's Rock 'n' Roll" was featured as the B side of a subsequent major hit by Carmen, "Make Me Lose Control."

Chart performance
Chart (1976) Peak
position
Denmark 7
France (IFOP)[2] 72
Japan

Shaun Cassidy version
"That's Rock 'n' Roll"
Single by Shaun Cassidy
from the album Shaun Cassidy
B-side"I Wanna Be with You"
ReleasedJuly 1977
Format45 RPM
GenreSoft rock
Length2:52
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Eric Carmen
Producer(s)Michael Lloyd
Shaun Cassidy singles chronology
"Da Doo Ron Ron"
(1977)		 "That's Rock 'n' Roll"
(1977)		 "Hey Deanie"
(1977)

Background

"That's Rock 'n' Roll" was covered in 1977 by American teen idol Shaun Cassidy on his first solo LP, Shaun Cassidy. It was Cassidy's second of three consecutive Top 10 hits. The following lyrics are omitted from his version:

"Well it's the roadies and the crowd, It's when the band's playin' way too loud, Your hips are shakin', ain't no mistakin'."

"That's Rock 'n' Roll" peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[3] It was his longest-charting hit, and spent three weeks longer in the Top 40 than did his number one hit, "Da Doo Ron Ron", with a total of six months on the chart. This song became a gold record, as did all of Cassidy's first three single releases.[4]

"That's Rock and Roll" was the first of two major hits written by Carmen and covered by Cassidy, the second being "Hey Deanie". Both songs charted concurrently with Carmen's own hit, "She Did It" from the fall of 1977.

On the Canadian chart, "That's Rock 'n' Roll" reached number one for one week, displacing the 'Star Wars Theme' to take its turn at number one.[5] It was Cassidy's second Canadian number-one hit. It was also Eric Carmen's second composition to reach the top spot, having reached number one a year earlier with a song he performed himself, "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again."

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Other versions

The song has been covered by the British rock 'n' roll band Showaddywaddy and in 1977, Tina Arena and John Bowles recorded a version for their album Tiny Tina and Little John. A version with slightly modified lyrics was recorded by The Dwarves in 1993. Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day covered the song in 2020 as part of his "No Fun Mondays" series on YouTube.

References
  1. "Eric Carmen Concert Setlist at The Midnight Special, Burbank on March 26, 1976". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  2. "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70". InfoDisc.fr (in French). 1976-08-26. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  3. "Shaun Cassidy lyrics". Top40db.net. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  4. "1977 Singles - Month By Month". Superseventies.com. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  5. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  6. Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  7. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  8. "INFINITY CHARTS: German Top 20". Ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  9. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  10. "Cash Box Top 100 10/22/77". Web.archive.org. June 23, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  11. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  12. "Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  13. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1977". Web.archive.org. October 21, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
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