Rough Boy

Last updated
"Rough Boy"
Rough Boy ZZ Top.jpg
Single by ZZ Top
from the album Afterburner
B-side "Delirious"
ReleasedMarch 1986 (March 1986)
Recorded1985
Genre
Length
  • 4:52(album version)
  • 3:45(single version)
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Bill Ham
ZZ Top singles chronology
"Stages"
(1985)
"Rough Boy"
(1986)
"Velcro Fly"
(1986)
Music video
"Rough Boy" on YouTube

"Rough Boy" is a song by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released by Warner Bros. Records in the US in March 1986, as the third single from their ninth studio album, Afterburner . The song reached No. 5 on the Album Rock Tracks chart and No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as No. 23 in the UK Singles Chart. Unlike the other songs on the album, this song has a much slower tempo and is more of a power ballad. It also shares a similar tune to their song "Leila", from their seventh studio album, El Loco .

Contents

Background

Dusty Hill said in 2007, "'Rough Boy' is a pretty li'l song. We're doin' it this tour. We pulled it back out. I like that song so much, I had it played at my wedding." [1]

Reception

Cash Box called it a "rapturous teen ballad" in which "the band turns its leather-tough into pure silk." [2]

Music video

The music video (directed by Steve Barron [3] ) features the band's "Eliminator" car/spaceplane hybrid (from the Afterburner album cover) visiting a space car wash, interspersed with images of the band members' hands and faces, as well as a woman's legs, protruding from metal plates, some of which double as lighted message signs or crosswalk signals.

Charts

Chart (1986)Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 22
US Billboard Album Rock Tracks 5
Canadian RPM Top Singles [4] 58
Dutch Singles Chart 81
French Singles Chart [5] 22
Swiss Singles Chart 38
UK Singles Chart 23

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZZ Top</span> American rock band

ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, it was composed of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top had developed a signature sound based on Gibbons' blues guitar playing style and Hill and Beard's rhythm section. They are popular for their live performances, sly and humorous lyrics, and the matching appearances of Gibbons and Hill, who wore sunglasses, hats and long beards.

<i>Afterburner</i> (ZZ Top album) 1985 studio album by ZZ Top

Afterburner is the ninth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1985. Although critics' response to the album was lukewarm, Afterburner was a moderate success, going platinum and launching one hit single: "Sleeping Bag" which peaked at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Eliminator</i> (album) 1983 studio album by ZZ Top

Eliminator is the eighth studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983, by Warner Bros. Records, and rose high on the charts in many countries. Four hit singles were released—"Gimme All Your Lovin'" which reached the American Top 40, "Sharp Dressed Man", "TV Dinners" and their most successful single, "Legs". Eliminator is ZZ Top's most commercially successful release, with sales of 11 million and diamond certification in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Money for Nothing (song)</span> 1985 single by Dire Straits

"Money for Nothing" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits, the second track on their fifth studio album, Brothers in Arms (1985). It was released as the album's second single on 28 June 1985 through Vertigo Records. The song's lyrics are written from the point of view of two working-class men watching music videos and commenting on what they see. The song features a guest appearance by Sting singing background vocals, providing both the signature falsetto introduction and backing chorus of "I want my MTV". The groundbreaking video was the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network launched on 1 August 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheap Sunglasses</span> 1979 single by ZZ Top

"Cheap Sunglasses" is a 1979 single by ZZ Top from their 1979 studio album Degüello.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addicted to Love (song)</span> 1986 single by Robert Palmer

"Addicted to Love" is a song by English rock singer Robert Palmer released in 1986. It is the third song on Palmer's eighth studio album Riptide (1985) and was released as its second single. The single version is a shorter edit of the full-length album version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drive (The Cars song)</span> 1984 single by the Cars

"Drive" is a song by American rock band The Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on July 23, 1984, as the album's third single. Written by Ric Ocasek, the track was sung by bassist Benjamin Orr and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange with the band. Upon its release, "Drive" became the Cars' highest-charting single in most territories. In the United States, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. It reached number five in the United Kingdom, number four in West Germany, number six in Canada and number three in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharp Dressed Man</span> Single by ZZ Top

"Sharp Dressed Man" is a song by American rock band ZZ Top, released on their 1983 album Eliminator. The song was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning. Pre-production recording engineer Linden Hudson was very involved in the early stages of this song's production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legs (song)</span> 1984 single by ZZ Top

"Legs" is a song by the band ZZ Top from their 1983 album Eliminator. The song was released as the fourth single in May 1984 more than a year after the album came out. It reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and the dance mix version of the song peaked at number 13 on the dance charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Throwing It All Away</span> 1986 single by Genesis

"Throwing It All Away" is the seventh track on the 1986 album Invisible Touch by Genesis. It was the second single taken from the album in the United States, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1986, as well as No. 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart the Album Rock Tracks chart. It was the last single released from the album in the UK in June 1987, reaching No. 22. The song was also a top 40 hit on the Irish Singles Chart, peaking at No. 24. The working title was "Zephyr and Zeppo".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human (The Human League song)</span> 1986 single by the Human League

"Human" is a song by English synth-pop band the Human League, released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Crash (1986). The track, which deals with the subject of infidelity, was written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The song topped the charts of the United States, becoming the band's second single to top the Billboard Hot 100 after their 1981 single "Don't You Want Me". It also went to number one in Canada while reaching number five in Germany and number eight in the band's native United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One of These Nights (Eagles song)</span> 1975 single by Eagles

"One of These Nights" is a song written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and recorded by the American rock band Eagles. The title track from their 1975 One of These Nights album, the song became their second single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart after "Best of My Love" and also helped propel the album to number one. The single version was shortened from the album version of the song, removing most of the song's intro and most of its fade-out, as well. Henley is lead vocalist on the verses, while Randy Meisner sings high harmony on the refrain. The song features a guitar solo by Don Felder that is "composed of blues-based licks and sustained string bends using an unusually meaty distortion tone."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">These Dreams</span> 1986 single by Heart

"These Dreams" is a song by American rock band Heart from their 1985 self-titled eighth studio album Heart. It was released on January 18, 1986, as the album's third single, becoming the band's first song to top the Billboard Hot 100. The single's B-side track, "Shell Shock", was also the B-side of Heart's previous single "Never".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stages (song)</span> 1986 single by ZZ Top

"Stages" is a song by American rock band ZZ Top. It was released as the second single from their ninth studio album Afterburner (1985). It peaked at number 21 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for two weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tush (ZZ Top song)</span> 1975 single by ZZ Top

"Tush" is a song by American blues rock band ZZ Top and was the only single from their fourth album Fandango!. The song was named the 67th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velcro Fly</span> 1986 single by ZZ Top

"Velcro Fly" is the fourth single off ZZ Top's 1985 album Afterburner. The song peaked at #15 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986, the band's last ever top 40 hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleeping Bag (song)</span> 1985 single by ZZ Top

"Sleeping Bag" is a song performed by the band ZZ Top from their 1985 album Afterburner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doubleback</span> 1990 single by ZZ Top

"Doubleback" is a song by ZZ Top from the 1990 album Recycler. It was released as a lead single and was also featured in the film Back to the Future Part III.

<i>Recycler</i> (album) 1990 studio album by ZZ Top

Recycler is the tenth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in October 1990. It was the last album to utilize the band's synthesizer-driven production style which began on Eliminator, and marked a return to the band's blues roots.

"It's Only Love" is a song by American blues rock band ZZ Top. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album Tejas (1976).

References

  1. Tripplet, Gene (March 8, 2007). "On the road or recording, ZZ Top still ready to rock". The Oklahoman.
  2. "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. March 29, 1986. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  3. "ZZ Top - 'Rough boy'". MVDBase.com (video). ASG. 1998–2017. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
  4. Peaked on RPM 100 Singles Chart on May 31, 1986
  5. Steffen Hung. "ZZ Top Singles". lescharts.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022.