Gonna Raise Hell
{{Infobox song
| name = Gonna Raise Hell
| cover =
| alt =
| type =
| artist = Cheap Trick
| album = Dream Police
| released = 1979
| format =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Rock
| length = 9:20
| label = Epic Records
| writer = Rick Nielsen
| producer = Tom Werman
}}
"Gonna Raise Hell" is a song written by Rick Nielsen and originally released on Cheap Trick's 1979 album Dream Police. The subject of "Gonna Raise Hell" has been disputed. Some authors, such as Ira Robbins of Trouser Press, have believed that the song was about the Jonestown Massacre.{{cite book|title=Reputation Is a Fragile Thing|author1=Hayes, M. |author2=Sharp, K.|pages=76–77|year=1998|publisher=Poptastic|isbn=978-0-9662081-0-8}}{{cite book|title=The Trouser Press Record Guide|url=https://archive.org/details/trouserpressreco002269mbp|author=Robbins, I.|page=119|year=1991|publisher=Collier Books|isbn=9780020363613|author-link=}} However, the song was written before that event. AllMusic critic Tom Maginnis claims that the song is about having a good time despite the apathy in the world; since we can't change the world "we might as well raise some hell." Composer Rick Nielsen claims that the song is about "religious, political and nuclear fanatics."
Music
"Gonna Raise Hell" has a disco beat.{{cite web|title=Gonna Raise Hell|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/gonna-raise-hell-t2399194|author=Maginnis, T.|website=AllMusic|access-date=2012-03-16}} At one point the band was planning to issue a 12" disco record of the song.{{cite magazine|title=Everyone's Jumping on Disco Bandwagon|author=Green, P.|page=6|magazine=Billboard Magazine|date=April 14, 1979|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TiQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22gonna+raise+hell%22+%22cheap+trick%22&pg=PT5|access-date=2012-03-16}} According to Nielsen, the band has performed the song "in a 10 minute version for discos," although he also stated that "I never thought of it as a disco song, but it does have that Detroit jungle beat."{{cite news|title=Cheap Trick: Live and Unavailable|author=Kagan, Shel|pages=26–27|newspaper=Circus|date=January 23, 1979}}{{cite web|title=40 Years Ago: Cheap Trick's 'Dream Police Becomes Belated Smash|author=Swanson, Dave|access-date=2019-09-24|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/cheap-trick-dream-police|date=September 21, 2015|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock}} The guitar melody played by Rick Nielsen mostly follows that of the vocals. Both AllMusic's Maginnis and Trouser Press' Robbins praise Tom Petersson's strong bass line, which Ultimate Classic Rock critic Dave Swanson described as "infectious." The song contains an interlude for violins and cellos that was scored by Rick and Jai Winding. According to drummer Bun E. Carlos, producer Tom Werman enhanced the snare drum sound on the recording by overdubbing the sound of two wooden boards hitting each other.
Reception
AllMusic's Maginnis praises aspects of the song, including its "nice build ups, breakdowns and solos," but does not think that the string interludes work as well in "Gonna Raise Hell" as they did in the title track of the Dream Police album. Maginnis also criticizes the song's length, at over nine minutes. Carlos has explained the length by stating that the song was originally intended to be about five minutes long, but when the band decided to go for a disco interpretation, they improvised an additional five minutes during the recording. According to Carlos, the first take of the improvised music sounded good enough to the band to be left in.
Fellow AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine praises "Gonna Raise Hell" as an "epic rocker" that ranks "among Cheap Trick's finest."{{cite web|title=Dream Police|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/dream-police-r3733|author=Erlewine, S.T.|website=AllMusic|access-date=2012-03-16|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}} Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh sees the song as a "variation on 'Helter Skelter'" by The Beatles, and believes that the layering of the vocals was inspired by The Beatles' Abbey Road.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/dream-police-19791129|title=Dream Police|access-date=2012-03-16|author=Marsh, D.|date=November 29, 1979|magazine=Rolling Stone|author-link=Dave Marsh}} Ultimate Classic Rock critic Annie Zaleski rated "Gonna Raise Hell" as Cheap Trick's 6th greatest song, saying it sounds like "Alice Cooper having a go with David Bowie" and commenting on the scary sounding instrumental elements.{{cite web|title=Top 10 Cheap Trick songs|author=Zaleski, Annie|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/cheap-trick-songs/|accessdate=2021-12-01|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=December 17, 2015}} Mojo Magazine claimed that "Gonna Raise Hell" and "Need Your Love," another song from Dream Police, "proved the Trick could do heavy, freaky rock jams as well as any of their peers."{{cite magazine|magazine=Mojo Magazine|issue=150–153}} Audio Magazine found the track amusing but complained that Cheap Trick was willing to go so far as to record a disco track in order to be successful.{{cite journal|title=Dream Police: Cheap Trick|journal=Audio Magazine|volume=64|year=1980}} Cheap Trick biographer Mike Hayes claims that with this song, producer Tom Werman achieved "the definitive Cheap Trick sound," even though the song's style differs from typical Cheap Trick fare. Classic Rock critic Malcolm Dome rated it as Cheap Trick's 9th greatest song, saying that it "builds from a low key opening into an almost sombre, heavy song, with Zander's vocal and Carlos' drumming adding to the sinister atmosphere."{{cite web|title=The top 10 best Cheap Trick songs|author=Dome, Malcolm|accessdate=2022-06-19|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-top-10-best-cheap-trick-songs|date=June 28, 2016|publisher=Louder Sound|work=Classic Rock}}
Controversy
It has been said that "Gonna Raise Hell" contains a hidden satanic message. Using back-masking, it was claimed you can hear, "You know Satan holds the key to the lock" when played backwards.{{cite web|title=Unmasking Backmasking: Classic Rockers' 'Secret' Messages|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/backward-message-songs/|author=Smith, Rob|access-date=2020-02-28|date=July 13, 2018|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock}}
Other appearances
Since its original appearance on Dream Police, "Gonna Raise Hell" has been included on a number of Cheap Trick compilation albums, including Sex, America, Cheap Trick in 1996 and The Essential Cheap Trick in 2004. It was also included on the live album Silver in 2001. In Japan, it was included on the 1991 compilation album The Greatest Hits.
It was used in the soundtrack of the television show Freaks and Geeks in the episode "Tricks and Treats." when Sam, Neil, and Bill put on their costumes and later as Sam gets egged by Lindsay.{{cite book|title=Freaks and geeks: the complete scripts|author=Feig, P. & Apatow, J.|pages=170, 183|year=2004|publisher=Newmarket Press|isbn=9781557046451}}{{cite web|title=FAQ for Freaks and Geeks|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193676/faq|publisher=IMDb|access-date=2012-03-16}}
Sam Kinison covered "Gonna Raise Hell" on his 1990 album Leader of the Banned.{{cite web|title=Leader of the Banned|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/leader-of-the-banned-r204736/review|author=Adams, B.|website=AllMusic|access-date=2012-03-16}} AllMusic critic Bret Adams called Kinison's recording a "horrible hair metal version" of the song.
"Renegades of Funk" by Rage Against the Machine uses the riff.