| "That's Rock 'n' Roll" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Danish single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Eric Carmen | ||||
| from the album Eric Carmen | ||||
| B-side | "Great Expectations" [1] | |||
| Released | May 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Power pop | |||
| Label | Arista Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Eric Carmen | |||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Ienner | |||
| Eric Carmen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"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.
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 . [2] The single's limited release did not include the United States. The song charted at number one in Denmark. Parts of the song are autobiographical.
Carmen performed the song on the Midnight Special TV program on March 26, 1976. [3] [4]
In 1988, "That's Rock 'n' Roll" was featured as the B side of a subsequent major hit by Carmen, "Make Me Lose Control."
Chaospin critic Linda Giantino rated it Carmen's 7th greatest solo song. [4] Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated it to be Carmen's 8th greatest solo song. [5]
| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 100 |
| Denmark | 7 |
| France (IFOP) [6] | 72 |
| Japan |
| "That's Rock 'n' Roll" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Shaun Cassidy | ||||
| from the album Shaun Cassidy | ||||
| B-side | "I Wanna Be with You" | |||
| Released | June 1976 (Europe) July 1977 (US) | |||
| Genre | Pop [7] | |||
| Length | 2:52 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Eric Carmen | |||
| Producer(s) | Michael Lloyd | |||
| Shaun Cassidy singles chronology | ||||
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"That's Rock 'n' Roll" was covered in 1976 by American teen idol Shaun Cassidy on his first solo LP, Shaun Cassidy . [8] 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. [9] 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. [10]
"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. [11] 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."
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [20] | Gold | 50,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
The song has also been covered by:
"I Write the Songs" is a popular song written by Bruce Johnston. Barry Manilow's version reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1976 after spending two weeks atop the Billboard adult contemporary chart in December 1975. It won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year and was nominated for Record of the Year in 1977. Billboard ranked it as the No. 13 song of 1976.
Change of Heart is a 1978 album by Eric Carmen. It was his third solo LP, and reached No. 137 on the Billboard album chart.
"Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. It first became a popular top five hit single for the American girl group the Crystals in 1963. American teen idol Shaun Cassidy recorded the song in 1977 and his version hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. There have also been many other cover versions of this song, including one by the songwriters Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich themselves, performing as the Raindrops.
"Lonely Night (Angel Face)" is a song written by Neil Sedaka. The song was first recorded by Sedaka and appeared as a track on his 1975 studio album, The Hungry Years. The following year the song was made popular when covered by the pop music duo Captain & Tennille, who took their version to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"She Did It" is a song written and originally recorded by Eric Carmen in 1977. Carmen's single was a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number 23. "She Did It" was covered in 1981 by actor and singer Michael Damian, who reached number 69 on the Hot 100 with his version.
"Cupid" is a song by the American singer Sam Cooke, released on May 16, 1961. It charted at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the Hot R&B Sides chart; the track performed best in the United Kingdom, peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The song is featured on Cooke's greatest hits album, The Best of Sam Cooke (1962). Cooke's producers had asked him to write a song for a girl they had seen on a Perry Como TV show—but once they heard her sing, they kept "Cupid" for Cooke himself.
"Make Me Lose Control" is a song written and performed by singer-songwriter Eric Carmen and co-written with Dean Pitchford. It is one of two major hits written by the duo, the other being the 1984 song "Almost Paradise" by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson. "Make Me Lose Control" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988.
"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" is a song co-written and recorded by American pop rock artist Eric Carmen. It was released as the second single from Carmen's self-titled debut solo album and peaked at No.11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1976, remaining in the Top 40 for ten weeks. The song reached No.1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart. In Canada, it was a hit at No. 1 on both charts.
Shaun Cassidy is the debut solo album by American singer Shaun Cassidy. The eponymous album was first released in 1976 in Europe and Australia, where he had top-ten hits with "Morning Girl" and "That's Rock 'n' Roll". It was not until the release of a cover version of The Crystals' song, "Da Doo Ron Ron", that Cassidy's international success carried over into the United States. The single became a number-one Billboard hit for Cassidy and launched his career as a pop musician and teen idol in the U.S.
"Hey Deanie" is a song written by Eric Carmen. It was a popular hit single by Shaun Cassidy that was released the last week of November, 1977 from his album, Born Late. It was his third and final top 10 hit, peaked at number seven for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, spending four months on the chart from late 1977 to early 1978. As with Cassidy's prior singles, this song also became a gold record.
"Go All the Way" is a song written by Eric Carmen of American rock group the Raspberries, from their 1972 album Raspberries. Released as a single in July 1972, the song reached the Top 5 on three principal US charts: number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 4 on Cashbox, and number 3 on Record World. The single sold more than 1.3 million copies, earning the band their only certified Gold Record. It was their second single release and their biggest US hit.
"The Things We Do for Love" is a song by British band 10cc, released as a single in 1976. It later featured on the album Deceptive Bends released in 1977 and was the group's first release after the departure of band members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.
"Rock and Roll Love Letter" is the second single from American Tim Moore's second album, Behind the Eyes. Tim Moore's original version was not successful. It was later covered by the band Bay City Rollers, and that version became a Top 40 hit.
"Did It in a Minute" is a song performed by American duo Hall & Oates. Written by Daryl Hall with Sara and Janna Allen, the song was released as the third of four singles from the duo's tenth studio album Private Eyes in March 1982. Daryl Hall performs lead vocals, while John Oates provides backing harmony vocals.
"Let's Pretend" is a song by Raspberries, released in March 1973 as the second single from their second LP, Fresh. It was written by band leader Eric Carmen, who also provided the lead vocals.
"Lost Without Your Love" is a song written and composed by David Gates, and originally recorded by the soft rock group Bread, of which Gates was the leader and primary music producer. It is the title track of Bread's last album which was released in 1976, and the song became their final top 10 hit.
"I Wanna Hear It from Your Lips" is a 1984 hit song by Eric Carmen. It was the lead single from his sixth album, which was his second eponymous album.
"Sunrise" is a song written by Eric Carmen that was first released on Carmen's 1975 album Eric_Carmen_. It was also released as a single and reached #34 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)" is a 1973 song written and originally performed by Australian singer Kevin Johnson, most famously covered by American singer Mac Davis.
"Tonight" is a song by Raspberries, released in August 1973. It was written by band leader Eric Carmen, who also provided the lead vocals. The song was the first of three single releases from their third LP, Side 3.