I have a soft spot for Cheap Trick. I have quite the storied karaoke past with "I Want You to Want Me," and I will have three of their songs (ultimately) on my Top-500. But they were on Howard Stern on Monday (Tuesday?) and Robin Zander sounded like utter and complete shit. His vocals chords have been rubbed raw by years of shamefully singing "The Flame", and it's just a sad thing to witness.

He and the band croaked their way through a version of "Surrender," which I dearly love. I first heard the song in 1996 when my brother's best friend made me a mix tape containing it, I think. So this is nearly 10 years later, and I guess I never ever thought to check the lyrics thoroughly, because I thought the final line of the final verse ("got my Kiss records out," apparently) was "got my kid sweating now," which makes no bleeding sense but is vaguely obscene.

But here are some interesting things the boys revealed to Howard et. al. When they first submitted the song to the record production company, it had two lyrics that were deemed too offensive/risque/what-have-you and were summarily changed.

Verse 2:
"Now, I had heard the WACS recruited old maids for the war
But mommy isn't one of those, I've known her all these years"
was originally:
"Now, I had heard the WACS recruited old maids, dykes, and whores
But mommy isn't one of those, I've known her all these years"

Verse 3 (post sublime key change!):
"Whatever happened to all this season's losers of the year?
Ev'ry time I got to thinking, where'd they disappear?"
was originally:
"Whatever happened to all this season's murderers and queers?
Ev'ry time I got to thinking, where'd they disappear?"

Now, I am not a fan of censorship, but I'm even less a fan of the word "queers" in that context. Plus with the original lyrics, it may never have gotten real airplay, and I would never have heard it. And could not be ROCKIN OUT TO IT RIGHT NOW and oh my GOD, of course he's saying "My Kiss records out!" I have no brain.

AWAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!


AWAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!