"Up the Creek"
Single by Cheap Trick
from the album Up the Creek soundtrack
B-side"Up the Creek (Acappella Intro)"
Released1984
GenreRock
Power Pop
Length3:03 (single)
3:58 (album)
LabelEpic Records
Songwriter(s)Rick Nielsen
Randy Bishop
Producer(s)Spencer Proffer
Cheap Trick singles chronology
"Spring Break"
(1984)		 "Up the Creek"
(1984)		 "Tonight It's You"
(1985)

"Up the Creek" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, released as a single in 1984 from the soundtrack of the 1984 film Up the Creek.[1] The song was written by Rick Nielsen and Randy Bishop, and produced by Spencer Proffer.[2]

Background

Years after its release, both Nielsen and drummer Bun E. Carlos have been critical of the song. Nielsen told John Krewson of The A.V. Club in 1997: "Now that was a bad song! I co-wrote that... no, wait, let's see... I can't remember. Maybe I actually wrote that whole thing. Man! I must've been high. That was one of the worst songs - put it this way, it was one of the worst movies that's ever been out. Song-wise, it fit right in with the movie."[3] Carlos was once asked why the song had not appeared on a Cheap Trick compilation, to which he replied "'cause it sucks."[4]

Music video

A music video was filmed in Los Angeles to promote the single. It was directed by Dominic Orlando and achieved light rotation on MTV.[5][6] In his 1997 interview with The A.V. Club, Nielsen said: "[The] video was the worst we've ever done. We've done some bad, bad ones, but that took the cake."[3]

Critical reception

Upon release, Jim Bohen of Daily Record described the song as a "decent hard rocker".[7] Bob Andelman of St. Petersburg Times commented that the songs contributed by Cheap Trick, the Beach Boys and Heart "all have appealing hooks but are surrounded by prattle."[8] Lawrence Van Gelder of The News-Press wrote: "Neither the music by the likes of Cheap Trick and the Beach Boys can elevate this movie from the ranks of failed derivations."[9]

In a review of the film, The Morning Call described the song as "awful".[10] In a retrospective review of the film's soundtrack, Doug Stone of AllMusic described the song as "ridiculous" and added: "Even these distinguished junk dealers abandoned this piece."[4] In his 2017 book Still Competition: The Listener's Guide to Cheap Trick, Robert Lawson described the song as one with "all the hallmarks of a decent Cheap Trick tune - goofy lyrics, a catchy chorus, and a terrific vocal from Zander."[11]

Track listing

7" single
  1. "Up the Creek" - 3:03
  2. "Up the Creek (Acappella Intro)" - 3:48
12" single
  1. "Up the Creek" - 3:03
  2. "Up the Creek (Acappella Intro)" - 3:48

Chart performance

Chart (1984) Peak
position
US Billboard Top Rock Tracks[12] 36

Personnel

  • Robin Zander - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, arranger
  • Rick Nielsen - lead guitar, backing vocals, arranger
  • Jon Brant - bass, backing vocals, arranger
  • Bun E. Carlos - drums, percussion, arranger

Additional personnel

  • Spencer Proffer - producer, arranger

References

  1. ↑ "Various - Up The Creek - Original Soundtrack From The Motion Picture (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  2. ↑ "Up the Creek (1984) - IMDb". IMDb.
  3. 1 2 Krewson, John (1997-03-12). "Cheap Trick | Interview". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  4. 1 2 Stone, Doug. "Up the Creek - Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  5. ↑ "Robin Zander From Cheap Trick Filming A Video To The Song… News Photo | Getty Images Ireland | 90418977". Gettyimages.ie. 1984-01-01. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  6. ↑ Billboard magazine - Video Music Programming - MTV Adds & Rotation - April 21, 1984 - page 20
  7. ↑ Daily Record - Music notes - Jim Bohen - July 6, 1984 - page 24
  8. ↑ St. Petersburg Times - Records - Bob Andelman - June 3, 1984 - page 2E
  9. ↑ Fort Myer News-Press - This time it's 'Up the Creek' without a reason - Lawrence Van Gelder - April 15, 1984 - page 10E
  10. ↑ Paul willistein (1984-05-19). "Up The Creek' Without A Cinematic Paddle Movie Review". Morning Call. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  11. ↑ Lawson, Robert (2017-11-13). Still Competition: The Listener's Guide to Cheap Trick. ISBN 9781525512261.
  12. ↑ "Cheap Trick". Billboard.
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