"Everything Works if You Let It" is a song by American rock band

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...

, released in 1980 as a single from the soundtrack of the film '' Roadie''. It was written by

Rick Nielsen Richard Alan Nielsen (born December 22, 1948) is an American musician who is the lead guitarist, primary songwriter, and leader of the rock band Cheap Trick. He is well-known for his numerous custom-made guitars from Hamer Guitars, including hi ...

and produced by

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

. "Everything Works If You Let It" reached No. 44 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 40 on the Canadian ''RPM'' Top Singles.

Critical reception

Upon release, ''

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 advertis ...

'' described the song as a "rocking uptempo composition", adding: "Disk has the group's trademarked stamp of pop innocence and instrumentation is upfront". ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' listed the single as one of their "feature picks" during May 1980. They commented: "Rick Nielsen's buzzsaw guitar work sets the breakneck pace of the first single from ''Roadie''. Robin Zander's Beatlesque vocals pack a pop wallop, prodded on by the expert rhythm section of Petersson and Carlos. A hot add for Top 40 AOR." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' called it a "guaranteed adrenalin-pumper" and said that "George Martin's pop production & the group's rock recklessness are a superb combination." In a retrospective review of the ''Roadie'' soundtrack, Whitney Z. Gomes of AllMusic stated: "Cheap Trick's killer opener shotguns the protagonist's motto "Everything Works If You Let It" into an unholy marriage of " Spirit of Radio" and "

Hey Jude "Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock music, rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' fir ...

." This George Martin-ated miracle alone blows away side two..." In 2016, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' included the song in their list "10 Insanely Great Cheap Trick Songs Only Hardcore Fans Know". Author Tom Beaujour described the song as an "uptempo rocker with a killer riff and descending psychedelic bridge", which "stands with their best work".

Track listing

;7" single #"Everything Works if You Let It" - 3:06 #"Way of the World" - 3:41 ;7" single (UK release) #"Everything Works if You Let It" - 3:06 #"Heaven Tonight" - 5:38 ;7" single (Canadian promo) #"Everything Works if You Let It" - 3:06 ;7" single (US promo) #"Everything Works if You Let It" - 3:06 #"Everything Works if You Let It" - 3:06

Chart performance

Personnel

;Cheap Trick *

Robin Zander Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick, but is also a solo artist. Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a ...

- lead vocals, rhythm guitar *

- lead guitar, backing vocals *

Tom Petersson Thomas John Peterson (born May 9, 1950), better known as Tom Petersson, is an American musician who is best known as the bass guitar player for the rock band Cheap Trick. Career Before joining Cheap Trick, Petersson played in a number of bands ...

- bass, backing vocals *

Bun E. Carlos Brad M. Carlson (born June 12, 1950), better known by the stage name Bun E. Carlos, is the original drummer for American rock band Cheap Trick. He recorded and performed with the band from 1973 to 2010. Carlos was inducted into the Rock and Roll ...

- drums, percussion ;Additional personnel *

- producer of "Everything Works if You Let It" *

Geoff Emerick Geoffrey Ernest Emerick (5 December 1945 – 2 October 2018) was an English sound engineer and record producer who worked with the Beatles on their albums ''Revolver'' (1966), '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1967) and ''Abbey Road' ...

- engineer on "Everything Works if You Let It" *

Tom Werman Tom Werman (born 1945) is an American record producer responsible for many hard rock and heavy metal albums. Early life and education Werman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Newton. He earned a bachelor's degree and an MBA from ...

- producer of "Way of the World" and "Heaven Tonight"

References

{{authority control 1980 songs 1980 singles Cheap Trick songs Epic Records singles Songs written by Rick Nielsen Song recordings produced by George Martin