"That's Rock 'n' Roll" is a song written and originally recorded by

Eric Carmen Eric Howard Carmen (born August 11, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist. He was first known as the lead vocalist of the Raspberries. He had numerous hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s, first as a member of the Rasp ...

in 1976. It became a popular ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' top 10 hit in 1977 for

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...

Shaun Cassidy Shaun Paul Cassidy (born September 27, 1958) is an American singer, actor, writer, and producer. He has created and/or produced a number of television series including '' American Gothic'', '' Roar'' and ''Invasion''. Cassidy currently serves as ...

Eric Carmen version

Background

American

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

artist

released his version of "That's Rock 'n' Roll" in some nations as the third single from his first eponymous debut album, ''

''. The single's limited release did not include the United States. The song charted at number seven in Denmark. Parts of the song are autobiographical. Carmen performed the song on the '' Midnight Special'' TV program on March 26, 1976. In 1988, "That's Rock 'n' Roll" was featured as the B side of a subsequent major hit by Carmen, " Make Me Lose Control."

Chart performance

Shaun Cassidy version

Background

"That's Rock 'n' Roll" was covered in 1976 by American teen idol

on his first solo LP, ''

''. It was Cassidy's second of three consecutive Top 10 hits. The following lyrics are omitted from his version: "Well it's the roadies and the crowd, It's when the band's playin' way too loud, Your hips are shakin', ain't no mistakin'." "That's Rock 'n' Roll" peaked at number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was his longest-charting hit, and spent three weeks longer in the Top 40 than did his number one hit, "

Da Doo Ron Ron "Da Doo Ron Ron" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. It first became a popular top five hit single for the American girl group The Crystals in 1963. American teen idol Shaun Cassidy covered the song in 1977 and his ...

", with a total of six months on the chart. This song became a gold record, as did all of Cassidy's first three single releases. "That's Rock and Roll" was the first of two major hits written by Carmen and covered by Cassidy, the second being "

Hey Deanie "Hey Deanie" is a song written by Eric Carmen. It was a popular hit single by Shaun Cassidy that was released the last week of November, 1977 from his album, '' Born Late''. It was his third and final top 10 hit, peaked at number seven for two we ...

". Both songs charted concurrently with Carmen's own hit, "

She Did It "She Did It" is a song written and originally recorded by Eric Carmen in 1977. Carmen's single was a Top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching number 23. "She Did It" was covered in 1981 by actor and singer Michael Damian, who reac ...

" from the fall of 1977. On the Canadian chart, "That's Rock 'n' Roll" reached number one for one week, displacing the '

Star Wars Theme "Star Wars (Main Title)" is a musical theme composed and conducted by John Williams. The 1977 London Symphony Orchestra recording peaked at number ten on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number thirteen in Canada '' RPM'' Top Singles. Meco's disco ver ...

' to take its turn at number one. It was Cassidy's second Canadian number-one hit. It was also Eric Carmen's second composition to reach the top spot, having reached number one a year earlier with a song he performed himself, "

Never Gonna Fall in Love Again "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" is a song co-written and recorded by American pop rock artist Eric Carmen. It was released as the second single from Carmen's self-titled debut solo album, the song peaked at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' H ...

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Other versions

The song has been covered by the British rock 'n' roll band

Showaddywaddy Showaddywaddy are a rock and roll group from Leicester, England. They specialise in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, while also issuing original material. Showaddywaddy spent 209 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, and had 10 T ...

and in 1977,

Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...

and John Bowles recorded a version for their album ''

Tiny Tina and Little John ''Tiny Tina and Little John'' is the debut studio album by Australian singers Tina Arena and John Bowles. It was issued on Compact Disc and digitally in June 1998. Arena returned to the music charts in 1990 with her second album, and has since h ...

''. A version with slightly modified lyrics was recorded by

The Dwarves The Dwarves are an American punk rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois and based in San Francisco, California as of 2009.Gentile, John (2009)Interview: Blag Dahlia of the Dwarves, ''The A.V. Club'', April 13, 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010 ...

in 1993.

Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for t ...

from

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

covered the song in 2020 as part of his "No Fun Mondays" series on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

References

External links

* * * {{Shaun Cassidy 1975 songs 1976 singles 1977 singles Shaun Cassidy songs Eric Carmen songs Songs written by Eric Carmen Song recordings produced by Jimmy Ienner Song recordings produced by Michael Lloyd Arista Records singles Warner Records singles Songs about rock music RPM Top Singles number-one singles