B-side "Oh Candy" Format 7" Length 3:41 | Released February 2, 1980 Genre Rock, Power Pop Label Epic Records | |
"Way of the World" is a single by American rock band Cheap Trick, released from their 1979 album Dream Police. The song was written by Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander and produced by Tom Werman. In February 1980 it was released as a 7" vinyl single in the UK only, backed by "Oh, Candy," from the first Cheap Trick album, and peaked at #73. It attempted to capitalize on the success of the mid-1979 single "I Want You to Want Me" and the live album Cheap Trick at Budokan which both entered the top 30.
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In some countries "Way of the World" was released as the B-side to Cheap Trick's 1980 single "Everything Works if You Let It."
"Way of the World" was produced by American producer Tom Werman who produced the entire Dream Police album as well the band's 1977 album In Color and the 1978 album Heaven Tonight.
No artwork was created for the single, with the 7" vinyl itself being packaged in an official Epic Records sleeve.
Background
The album "Dream Police" showed the band expanding into longer, more complex songs and incorporating orchestration on several tracks. "Way of the World" used this orchestral theme.
"Way of the World" was one of the first Cheap Trick songs to be written by both Nielsen and Zander together.
A music video was released to promote the single, largely featuring the band performing the song on stage. The video was recorded along with those for "Dream Police" and "Voices" well before the release of the "Way of the World" single or the Dream Police album, because the album release was delayed due to the surprising success of Cheap Trick at Budokan. The video has been released on Every Trick in the Book, where Allmusic considers it a "standaout."
The song originally had different lyrics and was titled "See Me Now", where this version has been available on unofficial Bootleg releases.
The song was a minor success in the UK, peaking at #73 for a total of 2 weeks in early 1980.
The bonus tracks of the American 2006 reissue of Dream Police consisted mainly of rare live versions of songs from the album, including a live version of "Way of the World". "Way of the World" was also released on a number of Cheap Trick compilation albums, including Sex, America, Cheap Trick and The Essential Cheap Trick.
The band have performed the song live numerous times. They performed it on television for the Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, along with "Dream Police" and "Voices," in 1980. It was the band's typical concert opener throughout 2010.
Critical reception
Allmusic picks the track as an AMG recommended track. Allmusic critic James Christopher Monger describes the "infectious rock & roll joy that emanates" from the song. Neil Lazaruk of The Edmonton Journal states that the song "continues rocking heavily" from the Dream Police title song which opens the album.
Dave Marsh of Rolling Stone Magazine spoke of the song in a review of the album, commenting on the fact that Rick Nielsen doesn't hide the sources that inspired the musical ideas for his songs, especially on Dream Police, questioning if Nielsen had 'gone too far' in relation to the songwriting on the album, but that "Way of the World" is "nearly as good as the earlier ones in which Cheap Trick used similar stylistic devices." Author Mike Hayes praises the "gorgeous" melody, the "tight" vocal harmonies and "fine phased guitar work," noting that the foundation of the song is its "driving rock attack."
Track listing
- "Way of the World" - 3:30
- "Oh, Candy" - 4:14
"Oh, Candy"
The b-side of the "Way of the World" single, "Oh, Candy," was a song written solely by Nielsen which was the band's 1977 debut single in the US (backed by "Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School"), and taken from the band's 1977 self-titled debut album "Cheap Trick." "Oh, Candy" was produced by American producer Jack Douglas who produced the band's 1977 debut album "Cheap Trick" and later the 1985 album "Standing on the Edge". "Oh, Candy" was subsequently released on a number of Cheap Trick compilation albums, including Sex, America, Cheap Trick and the 2001 live album Silver.
Author Mike Hayes describes the melody of "Oh, Candy" as a "gloriously commercial pop tune" and thus a good song for the band to release as its first single. However, the subject matter of the song was rather morbid, describing the suicide by hanging of the band's first photographer, Marshall Mintz. The title of the song comes from the fact that Mintz's initials, M & M, are also the name of a popular candy, M&Ms. Nielsen stated that he made the song sound like it was about a young woman because making it about a young woman made the subject easier for listeners to identify with than if the song was about an older man. Chuck Lashon filmed a promotional video of the song, along with several other songs from Cheap Trick's debut album, such as "He's a Whore" and "ELO Kiddies."