Never Had a Lot to Lose

"Never Had a Lot to Lose" is a song by the American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1989 as the fifth and final single from their tenth studio album Lap of Luxury (1988). It was written by lead vocalist Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson, and produced by Richie Zito.[3] The song reached No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]

"Never Had a Lot to Lose"
Single by Cheap Trick
from the album Lap of Luxury
B-side"All We Need Is a Dream"
ReleasedJanuary 1989 (US)[1]
April 1989 (Australia)[2]
GenreRock, power pop
Length3:22
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Richie Zito
Cheap Trick singles chronology
"Let Go"
(1988)		 "Never Had a Lot to Lose"
(1989)		 "Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love"
(1990)

Background

Recalling the writing of the song, Petersson stated in the Cheap Trick biography Reputation is a Fragile Thing that he and Zander "sat down [and] did a track. We put the lyrics together as we were doing it in a demo studio. That was fun."[5]

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Jim Yukich and produced by Paul Flattery for FYI.[6] It achieved medium rotation on MTV.[7]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Billboard listed the song as a recommended single under the "Pop" category and described it as a "lively power rocker" and a "definite highlight" from Lap of Luxury.[8]

In a review of Lap of Luxury, Ira Robbins of Trouser Press described the song as "durable" and one of the album's few bright spots.[9] Steve Huey of AllMusic considered it a "catchy hard rocker."[10] In the 1998 Cheap Trick biography Reputation Is a Fragile Thing, authors Mike Hayes and Ken Sharp call the song a "gem" and "an up-tempo commercial rocker, featuring a classic Cheap trick riff". They highlighted it as possibly the best song on Lap of Luxury.[5] In the 2007 book Shake Some Action - The Ultimate Guide to Power Pop, author John M. Borack described it as the "crown jewel of the record".[11]

Track listing

7-inch single (US and Australia)

  1. "Never Had a Lot to Lose" - 3:22
  2. "All We Need is a Dream" - 3:40

Personnel

Cheap Trick

Production

  • Richie Zito - producer
  • Phil Kaffel - engineer, mixer
  • Jim Champagne, Bernard Frings, Mike Tacci, Bob Vogt, Toby Wright - second engineers

Charts
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA Charts)[12] 118
US Billboard Hot 100 Chart[4] 75
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[13] 54

References
  1. "Cheap Trick - Never Had A Lot To Lose / All We Need Is A Dream - Epic - USA - 34-68563". 45cat. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  2. "Cheap Trick - Never Had A Lot To Lose / All We Need Is A Dream - Epic - Australia - 654675 7". 45cat. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  3. "Cheap Trick - Lap Of Luxury at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  4. "Cheap Trick Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  5. Hayes, M. & Sharp, K. (1998). Reputation Is a Fragile Thing. Poptastic. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-9662081-0-8.
  6. "Music Video: New Videoclips". Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 10. Billboard Publications, Inc. March 11, 1989. p. 67. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. "Music Video: The Clip List". Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 12. Billboard Publications, Inc. March 25, 1989. p. 53. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. Billboard magazine - Single reviews - February 11, 1989 - page 71
  9. Robbins, Ira. "Cheap Trick". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  10. Huey, Steve. "Lap of Luxury - Cheap Trick". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  11. Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action - The Ultimate Guide To Power Pop - John M. Borack - Google Books. ISBN 9780979771408. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  12. "Bubbling Down Under Week commencing 24 April 1989". April 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  13. Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffman, Frank (1994). Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. p. 60. ISBN 1563083167. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
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