She's Tight

Album: One On One (1982)
Charted: 65
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Songfacts®:

  • This licentious rocker is vague enough to evade censors (perhaps her hair is pulled tight in a bun, or she's tight-lipped, not telling secrets), but still pretty dirty. In the song, lead singer Robin Zander calls an ex-girlfriend to satisfy his urges. To his delight, she obliges, and he's happy to tell the tale.
  • Like most Cheap Trick songs, "She's Tight" was written by their guitarist, Rick Nielsen. It came at a tumultuous time for the band; their bass player, Tom Petersson, had recently left and they had a new producer, Roy Thomas Baker. The band had their breakthrough in 1979 when a live version of "I Want You To Want Me" became a surprise hit, which they followed up with the album Dream Police. "She's Tight" didn't connect, and the band struggled to find their footing until 1988 when they jumped on the power ballad bandwagon and landed a huge hit with "The Flame."
  • Cheap Trick rivaled Van Halen for visual presentation, and "She's Tight" gave the MTV audience a good look. Directed by Bill Dear, the video shows Rick Nielsen playing a 5-necked guitar while Bun E. Carlos smokes a cigarette at his drum kit. We also get quick flashes of the girl - a proven winner on early MTV.

    But unlike Van Halen, Cheap Trick never had much presence on MTV, mostly because their hits dried up by the time they went on the air in 1981. "The Flame" was a bigger hit on VH1, their adult-oriented sister station.

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