Cheatin'

Album: New Miserable Experience (1992)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Back in the days before the Gin Blossoms had realized their eventual colossal success, band member Jesse Valenzuela was in a little bar in downtown Tempe, Arizona, with his buddies, trying to think of the "most horrendous country titles" they could come up with. "And my buddy Ricky came up with that one," says Jesse. "'You can't call it cheatin' cuz she reminds me of you.' The song pretty much wrote itself."

    Co-written with fellow Gin Blossom Doug Hopkins, Jesse tells a story about how they were at a radio station one day for an interview. "It was a lady DJ," recalls Jesse, "I forgot who she was. But she goes, 'I'd like to say I love that song, because it's so funny. But I do find it mildly offensive at the same time. I said, 'Okay, that's good for you.' Because it is kind of a novelty song."
  • This is the last song on New Miserable Experience, the first Gin Blossoms album issued on a major label (A&M). The album landed four hits (most famously "Hey Jealousy"), and their next album did very well, but then the band broke up in 1997. They got back together a few years later and released their next album, Major Lodge Victory, in 2006.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.