For My Sunday Song #315, we are diving in to the very controversial song “Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School” by Cheap Trick. The song is off the 1977 debut album. The song was not a single for obvious reasons once you learn what it is about, but it was the B-Side to the single “Oh Candy”. It was written by Rick Nielsen back when not everyone got writing credits.
“Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School” is nothing if not controversial giving us a song about a guy who loves to pervert around with teenagers. I believe that is called an ephebophile. With lyrics like “I’m thirty, but I feel like sixteen / I might even know your daddy” is simply plain sick, hysterical and so rock & roll. You can’t help but love it even if it is so, so wrong. It is no worst than Gene Simmons singing about “Christine Sixteen” years earlier.
The song starts with a bunch a school kids making noises. The song chugs along and is just so wrong, but it feels so right. It sounds a little nasty and dirty with the distorted sounding guitar, the dark bass lines and the heavier sounding drum beats. Robin sings it with a gritty feel to his vocals as he knows it is wrong and probably has to take a shower after singing this one. It is one that makes you take notice and shows they weren’t afraid to court a little controversy.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 