Song: “Dream Police”

One of more than 20 songs written by the band before they released their first album in 1977, “Dream Police” didn’t make the initial cut. But after the band gained experience playing it live and refined it based on what they learned, it became the title track for their fourth studio album, released in 1979.

• Remember when bands used to release albums every year? Or even more frequently?

Guitarist Rick Nielsen wrote the song about a paranoid man who felt someone was invading his mind as he slept, making a pop hit about Big Brother watching you.

Multiple critics praise the song as a “tour de force,” balancing power chords, dissonance, string stabs ala Psycho, and a powerful, simple bass line to create an infectious and enduring hit.

Cheap Trick charted many times over the years with songs like “I Want You to Want Me,” “Surrender,” “Ain’t That a Shame,” and “The Flame.” Many of these were slow-burns, not reaching the tops of the charts but persisting for long stretches and generating strong sales and a loyal fan base as a result.

“Dream Police” was one of the band’s most popular songs, reaching #26 in the US Billboard Hot 100. The album itself reached #6 on the charts in the US.

Cheap Trick was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

The strings were originally played via a keyboard arpeggiator. As finances improved, entire string sections were hired to play the parts, as in this 2011 live version.

This performance was recorded just weeks after the band had a near-death experience in Ottawa, where a thunderstorm blew through a festival 20 minutes into their set causing the 40-ton roof to fall. It landed on the band’s truck, which was parked alongside the stage. The van broke the roof’s fall, allowing everyone about 30 seconds to escape.

I’m sure that kept the dream police occupied for a few nightmarish weeks . . .

Enjoy!