“Go All the Way” (Raspberries)

Today’s classic song about teenage lust of the day is “Go All the Way” by Raspberries. Released in July of 1972, this was the group’s biggest hit, peaking at #5 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.

“Go All the Way” was written by Raspberries’ front man Eric Carmen. It’s a perfect piece of power pop, extolling the teenage desire to take a relationship to the next level, so to speak. Carmen says he was inspired by the Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together” to “write an explicitly sexual lyric that the kids would instantly get but the powers that be couldn’t pin me down for.” The title came from Indianapolis author Dan Wakefield’s 1970 novel, Going All the Way.

Carmen recalls how the song flipped the traditional boy-pursuing-girl approach:

“[I] turned it around so that the girl is encouraging the guy to go all the way, rather than the stereotypical thing of the guy trying to make the girl have sex with him. I figured that made me seem a little more innocent.”

Musically, the song is rather simple but effective. In the chorus the chords go I – vim – IV – iiim -iim – V – iiim – vim. (In the key of A that’s A – F#m – D – C#m – Bm, then E – C#m – F#.) Carmen adds a catchy melody on top of those chords along with angelic vocal harmonies; the result is a power pop confection that’s damned near irresistible.

What exactly is power pop? It’s a type of pop-rock music built around catchy melodies with lots of memorable melodic hooks. It typically uses classic rock band instrumentation (guitars, bass, drums, sometimes keyboards) in arrangements that stress the lead vocals and, quite often, rich vocal harmonies.

Power pop artists were influenced originally by the harmony-heavy rock bands of the early to mid ’60s, including the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Beach Boys. Some of the more notable proponents of power pop include Big Star, Cheap Trick, Marshall Crenshaw, Fountains of Wayne, Gin Blossoms, the Knack, Nick Lowe, Todd Rundgren, and, of course, the Raspberries.

The Raspberries were four guys from Cleveland: Eric Carmen (vocals/bass/piano), Wally Bryson (guitar), Dave Smalley (guitar), and Jim Bonfanti. They burst onto the national scene in 1970 when they were discovered by legendary producer Jimmy Ienner. “Go All the Way” was their first and biggest hit, but they also scored with “I Wanna Be With You” (#16, 1972), “Let’s Pretend” (#35, 1973), and “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” (#18, 1974).

The band broke up in 1975 and Eric Carmen established a successful solo career that blended power pop with a sweeter adult contemporary sound. His big hits included “All By Myself” (#2, 1975), “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” (#11, 1976), “Hungry Eyes” (#4, 1987), and “Make Me Lose Control” (#3, 1988).