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
These Days
Cheap Trick Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your love shines all around me
All I want is to be here with you
This is what I was made for
Heaven is steps away
These days everything I am is about you
These days my world revolves around you
These days
These days
I was bound now I am free
The sun shines all around me
All I want is to be here for you
Forever more
Heaven is steps away
These days everything I am is about you
Yeah these days my world revolves around you
I don't know what I would be without you
These days
At first glance, the lyrics to Cheap Trick's song "These Days" seem to be about a person who has found everything they've ever wanted in someone they love. The singer in the song was once "blind," but now they "can see" thanks to the love that "shines all around" them. There's a sense of gratitude and a desire to be with this person always, as the singer sings: "All I want is to be here with you / This is what I was made for."
But there's also a spiritual element to the song, suggested by the line "Heaven is steps away." This could be interpreted in a few different ways. Maybe the singer is talking about being so in love that they feel like they're in heaven with their partner. Alternatively, the singer could be saying that their love has brought them closer to God or a higher power. Either way, the idea of transcendence and a connection to something beyond the physical is present in the lyrics.
Overall, "These Days" is a love song with a deeper, more philosophical twist. The singer is celebrating their love for someone while also contemplating bigger questions about existence and spirituality. It's a poignant combination that speaks to the complexity of human emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
I was blind, now I can see
I was ignorant before, but now I understand the truth
Your love shines all around me
Your love is so bright that it surrounds me and affects everything around me
All I want is to be here with you
Being by your side is my biggest desire
This is what I was made for
I feel like my purpose in life is to be with you
Heaven is steps away
Being with you feels like paradise, like heaven is within reach
These days everything I am is about you
You are the center of my world and everything I do is about you
These days my world revolves around you
My life now revolves around you, and you are the most important thing to me
I don't know what I would be without you
I cannot imagine my life without you, as you have become an integral part of it
These days
Recently/nowadays, my life is all about you
I was bound now I am free
I used to feel trapped and constrained, and now being with you has given me a sense of liberation
The sun shines all around me
Your love is so radiant that it feels like the sun is shining down on me
All I want is to be here for you
My biggest desire is to be there for you whenever you need me
Forever more
I want to be with you for all time
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JULIAN RAYMOND, RICK NIELSEN, ROBIN ZANDER, TOM PETERSSON, BUN CARLOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vinyl For Breakfast
These guys never cease to amaze, consistently brilliant songs since 1977, just an awesome band that I hope never goes away, thanks Rick, Robin, Tom, Bun E, Daxx, keep ‘me coming!