One of the best known American power pop bands, the group's biggest hits over the years include "I Want You to Want Me", "Surrender", "Dream Police", "Don't Be Cruel" (a cover of Elvis Presley's hit), and "The Flame". Their most recent release, The Latest, has gained critical acclaim. They also wrote and performed the theme song for "The Colbert Report" as well as "That 70s Show", both tunes being fan favorites.
Nielsen and Petersson originally formed the group as Fuse in 1967, with Carlos joining the group several years later; however, when Zander joined as vocalist in 1972, the group was renamed Cheap Trick. Zander is considered one of the best hard rock vocalists of his era. For their part, Tom Petersson has been known for playing custom made 8, 12, and even a 18 string custom bass made by Modulus for Tom in 1981 and Rick Nielsen also has a penchant for unusual instruments. He owns and plays a five-necked solidbody electric guitar (it can be seen in the video for the song "She's Tight" among others).
Studio Albums
(1977) Cheap Trick [a.k.a Cheap Trick (1997)]
(1977) In Color
(1978) Heaven Tonight
(1979) Dream Police
(1980) All Shook Up
(1980) Found All The Parts
(1982) One on One
(1983) Next Position Please
(1985) Standing on the Edge
(1986) The Doctor
(1988) Lap of Luxury
(1990) Busted
(1994) Woke Up With A Monster
(1997) Cheap Trick [a.k.a Cheap Trick (1997)]
(2003) Special One
(2006) Rockford
(2009) The Latest
(2016) Bang, Zoom, Crazy...Hello
(2017) We're All Alright!
(2021) In Another World
[Live Albums]
(1978) At Budokan
(1978) Budokan II
(1998) At Budokan: the Complete Concert
(1999) Music for Hangovers
(2001) Silver
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Cheap Trick Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play,
They've been going in and out of style,
But they're guaranteed to raise the smile,
So may I introduce to you,
The act you've known for all these years,
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
We hope you will enjoy the show
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sit back and let the evening go
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
It's wonderful to be here,
It's certainly a thrill
You're such a lovely audience,
We'd like to take you home with us, we'd love to take you home.
I don't really want to stop the show,
But I thought you might like to know,
That the singer's going to sing a song
And he wants you all to sing along,
So let me introduce to you
The one and only Billy Shears
And Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The song opens with the line "twenty years ago today", establishing a nostalgic mood. The opening verse describes how Sergeant Pepper, an English bandleader, taught his band to play, and how they have remained popular even though their style goes in and out of fashion. The opening verse ends with the introduction of the band to the audience, specifically mentioning the band's name, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The chorus repetition of the band's name reinforces the image of the band as a unified entity, almost like a military unit, with Sergeant Pepper at the helm. The second verse elaborates on the band's anticipation of the performance, expressing how pleased they are to be there and how much they want to entertain the audience. The verse also ends with a playful invitation to the audience to leave with the band.
Finally, the last verse introduces Billy Shears, who will be taking over as lead singer for the next song and encourages the audience to sing along with the refrain. The final line, "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", rouses the audience's excitement once again.
Line by Line Meaning
It was twenty years ago today
It has been two decades since the day we are referring to.
Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play,
Sergeant Pepper was the one who taught the band how to play music.
They've been going in and out of style,
The band's popularity has varied over time.
But they're guaranteed to raise the smile,
Despite the changes, the band always brings joy to their audience.
So may I introduce to you,
Allow me to present to you,
The act you've known for all these years,
The performance you are familiar with after all these years.
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The band that is called Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
We're Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
We are the band referred to as Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
We hope you will enjoy the show
We sincerely hope that you will like the performance.
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
This is again our band's name.
Sit back and let the evening go
Please relax and enjoy what the night has in store for you.
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely
Once again, we are referring to our band.
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely
Our band has a unique name that we will repeat.
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Our band is called Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
It's wonderful to be here,
We feel delighted to be performing here today.
It's certainly a thrill
We are excited to be on stage and performing for you all.
You're such a lovely audience,
We think that the crowd is very pleasant and friendly.
We'd like to take you home with us, we'd love to take you home.
We would be happy to keep performing for you non-stop if it were possible.
I don't really want to stop the show,
I do not have any desire to put an end to the performance right now.
But I thought you might like to know,
I have something I think you might be interested in knowing.
That the singer's going to sing a song
The vocalist is about to perform a musical number.
And he wants you all to sing along,
He hopes that all of you will join in singing along with him.
So let me introduce to you
Allow me the honor of presenting to you
The one and only Billy Shears
This is the only one known as Billy Shears.
And Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
He is performing this song alongside the band known as Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Raymond Pilarczyk
A great tribute to The Beatles... done with reverence to the original and skill, with a tad of Cheap Trick style
MusicalManchild77
Isn't It Awesome?!
penny bjorkland
Such a delicate, respectful and perfect version of the original. I enjoy when they perform their own work, but for Beatle covers no one is better. Sad, because many try to cover Beatles but it rarely works. This one is a hit. I remember when this album came out this song gave me chills and the CT version does as well.
Matthew McMahon
Great cover
Matthew McMahon
penny bjorkland
Steve Elling
This is just ... fantastic. The Beatles had stopped touring by the time this record came out, and they could not have played a better live rendition. God bless Cheap Trick. A national treasure.
conde de laffayet
a great band playing another great band!
Thiago Moraes
One legendary band playing another legendary band!!
MusicalManchild77
Yep!!1
Ian Snyder
Wow, one of the truly great rock bands absolutely killin' it ....RESPECT!!!!