The song climbed to No. 1 in the United States on July 9, 1988, giving the Rockford, Illinois band its first chart-topper after more than a decade of success with fan favorites such as "I Want You to Want Me," "Surrender" and "Dream Police."
For Cheap Trick, the achievement marked the end of several years of declining commercial success and launched one of the biggest comebacks of the decade.
Before "The Flame," the band's highest-charting hit was the live version of "I Want You to Want Me," which peaked inside the Top 10. After "The Flame," Cheap Trick would score only one more Top 10 hit, "Don't Be Cruel," which reached No. 4 later in 1988.
The song was written by British songwriters Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham and produced by Richie Zito.
Rick Nielsen, Cheap Trick's longtime guitarist and principal songwriter, reportedly disliked the song so much that he "yanked it from the tape player and ground the cassette beneath his boot heel."
According to drummer Bun E. Carlos, the band was offered a choice between recording "The Flame" and another outside song, "Look Away."
"Look Away" later became Chicago's own No. 1 hit.
Although the band initially resisted the idea, Zito found a way to move the recording forward by convincing members to record their parts one at a time.
Today, "The Flame" stands as one of the era's best-known power ballads and an important chapter in Cheap Trick's history.
It gave Cheap Trick their long-awaited chart breakthrough, introduced the band to a new generation of listeners, and secured a permanent place in their legacy.
For Cheap Trick, the fire never completely went out.
Related: 1972 Rock Song With Zero Chart History Remains a Classic 54 Years Later
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