Long Time Coming (Cheap Trick song) explained

Long Time Coming
Cover:Cheap Trick Long Time Coming 2017 Single Cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Cheap Trick
Album:We're All Alright!
Released:April 27, 2017[1]
Genre:Rock
Length:3:12
Label:Big Machine Label Group
Producer:Julian Raymond, Cheap Trick
Prev Title:When I Wake Up Tomorrow
Prev Year:2016
Next Title:The Summer Looks Good on You
Next Year:2018

"Long Time Coming" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 2017 as the only single from their eighteenth studio album We're All Alright!. It was written by Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson and Julian Raymond, and produced by Raymond and Cheap Trick. Released as a promotional single in the United States, "Long Time Coming" reached No. 36 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.[2] The song also reached No. 1 on the Mediabase Classic Rock Airplay chart.[3]

"Long Time Coming" was released in April 2017, prior to the album's June release date. In addition to being issued as a promotional single, it was made available as an instant download with all pre-orders of the digital version of the album.[4] Speaking of the song to Billboard, Nielsen commented: "It's our interpretation of Slade and MC5 and AC/DC and Aerosmith - a lot of riffs that are reminiscent of the Move, but they're not steals. It's just, like, all the bands we like."[1]

Critical reception

Upon release, Billboard described the song as a "crunchy hard rocker driven by a Kinks-flavored riff" and a "one-song tribute to Cheap Trick's influential forebears".[1] Louder Than War described the song as a "crunching Kinks-y hard rocker".[5] Ultimate Classic Rock noted how the song sees Nielsen "weld together riffs borrowed from the Kinks and the Who".[6] Blurt wrote: "Age is clearly not a deterrent, at least as far as energy and exhilaration are concerned. The opening volley of "You Got It Going On," "Long Time Coming" and "Nowhere" ploughs forward with an intensity befitting a band half their age."[7]

AllMusic highlighted the song as one of a number of tracks where the band "sound like they're having a blast, with Nielsen's guitar roaring at every turn, and Zander sounding playfully horny".[8] American Songwriter noted Zander's "powerful" vocals, and noted the song as an example of Nielsen "prov[ing] himself the king of power pop/rock hooks". The review added: "...the simplistic lyrics won't win any Pulitzer Prizes but as pedal to the metal rockers go, it leaves most poseurs half their age in the dust."[9]

Record Collector picked the song as one of the album's "most vibrant cuts", adding that it "rises above generic nostalgia".[10] uDiscoverMusic described the song as "attention-grabbing".[11] Popdose stated: "...other songs seem to channel different rock luminaries, although filtered through Cheap Trick's particular approach: "Long Time Coming" is the AC/DC that AC/DC hasn't made in roughly twenty years."[12] Business Insider commented: "It's a wonderfully dumb, blunt rocker that, like so many songs before, Cheap Trick redeems itself with a whole lot of really catchy music. The entire tune is a summary of the 1969-1989 trajectory of rock, right down to a punky slap of non-sequitur noise from Nielsen as it conks out."[13]

Track listing

CD single (US promo)

  1. "Long Time Coming" - 3:12

Personnel

Cheap Trick

Production

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cheap Trick Debuts 'Long Time Coming' Single From 'We're All Alright!' Album: Exclusive . Billboard . 2017-04-27 . 2018-04-12.
  2. Web site: Billboard . Cheap Trick Long Time Coming Chart History . Billboard . 2018-04-12.
  3. Web site: Cheap Trick's "Long Time Coming" Tops Airplay Chart for 16 Weeks . October 2017 . full in bloom . 2018-04-12.
  4. Web site: Cheap Trick announce 18th album 'We're All Alright' and premiere new song.
  5. Web site: Cheap Trick: We're All Alright – album review . Louder Than War . 2017-06-21 . 2018-04-12.
  6. Web site: Cheap Trick, 'We're All Alright!': Album Review . 15 June 2017 . Ultimateclassicrock.com . 2018-04-12.
  7. Web site: Mills . Fred . CHEAP TRICK - We're All Alright! - Blurt Magazine . August 2017 . Blurtonline.com . 2018-04-12.
  8. Web site: Mark Deming . We're All Alright! - Cheap Trick | Songs, Reviews, Credits . AllMusic . 2017-06-16 . 2018-04-12.
  9. Web site: Horowitz . Hal . Cheap Trick: We're All Alright! « American Songwriter . Americansongwriter.com . 2017-06-12 . 2018-04-12.
  10. Web site: We're All Alright! - Record Collector Magazine . Recordcollectormag.com . 2018-04-12.
  11. Web site: Peacock . Tim . We're All Alright! An Understatement For New Cheap Trick Album | uDiscover . Udiscovermusic.com . 2018-04-12.
  12. Web site: Album Review: Cheap Trick, "We're All Alright!" . Popdose.com . 2017-07-18 . 2018-04-12.
  13. Web site: Matthew DeBord Jun. 17, 2017, 12:11 PM 11,825 . This is why you should listen to the new Cheap Trick record - Business Insider . Uk.businessinsider.com . 2017-06-17 . 2018-04-12.