Cherry Pie (album)

Cherry Pie
Studio album by Warrant
Released	September 11, 1990
Recorded	1989-1990
Genre	Glam metal, heavy metal, hard rock
Length	38:14
Label	CBS
Producer	Beau Hill
Warrant chronology
Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (1989) Cherry Pie (1990) Dog Eat Dog (1992)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Rolling Stone

Cherry Pie is the second music album by American heavy metal band Warrant. The record—which spawned the hits "Cherry Pie", "Uncle Tom's Cabin", and "I Saw Red"—is the band's best-known and highest-selling release. The album peaked at number 7 on The Billboard 200.

Production and marketing

Cherry Pie was released on September 11, 1990 through CBS Records. Like its predecessor, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, it was recorded at The Enterprise in Burbank, California.

It is widely rumored that Erik Turner and Joey Allen had not played a note on the album and that all guitar work had been performed by ex-Streets guitarist and session musician Mike Slamer. The rumor has never been verified, although Slamer's wife confirmed in 1998 that her husband played guitar on the record. The album's liner notes refer to Turner's function as "G-string" and Allen's as "Bong Riffs", adding that "Erik & Joey would like to thank Mike Slamer & Tommy Girvin for their Wielding G string Inspirations". Producer Beau Hill stated in a 2012 interview that Slamer did in fact play on the album. Beau had said to the band that the "songs are really great, but I think we’re a little weak in the solo department and so I like to bring somebody in". Beau also stated that "everybody in the band signed off on it and everything was done above ground".

Slamer was joined by numerous other guest performers; the record also features contributions from Jani Lane's brother Erik Oswald, guitarist C. C. DeVille from Poison, guitarist and bassist Bruno Ravel and drummer Steve West from Danger Danger, and singer Fiona.

The album carried a parental advisory sticker in the United States, due to the final track entitled "Ode to Tipper Gore", which consisted of a collection of swear words cut from the band's live performances. A "clean" version of the album also existed, with the final track removed, and an audible "bleep" of a curse in a previous song.

Canadian cable-TV music network, MuchMusic, refused to air the "Cherry Pie" video on the grounds that it was "offensively sexist".

Songs

The albums themes include sex ("Cherry Pie", "Sure Feels Good to Me", "Love in Stereo"), love and devotion ("Mr. Rainmaker", "Blind Faith"), and betrayal ("I Saw Red", "Train, Train"). The song "Train, Train" is a cover version of a song originally performed by the band Blackfoot on their 1979 album Strikes.

"Cherry Pie", which is probably Warrant's best-known song, was dedicated to president of Sony Music Entertainment US Don Ienner. The dedication was no doubt inspired by the record company pressure which led to the track's creation. The record was completed without the song, but Warrant's label requested that a new rock "anthem" be added in order to enhance its marketability. Vocalist Lane responded by writing "Cherry Pie" in 15 minutes. Bassist Jerry Dixon and guitarist Allen, who believed the album was complete and were playing in a charity golf tournament in Denver, were called back to Los Angeles to complete the track. The single comprises a string of metaphorical references to sex and bears some melodic resemblance to Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me", and Joan Jett's "I Love Rock n' Roll". The guitar solo was performed by Poison's guitarist C. C. DeVille.

Prior to the writing of "Cherry Pie", the album's title and first single was to have been "Uncle Tom's Cabin", a track which foreshadowed the kind of imaginative song writing which would later be more fully revealed on the Dog Eat Dog record. Although named after the classic novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, the song tells the story of a witness to the involvement of local police in a double murder and appeared to have nothing to do with slavery, racism, or the Deep South (although the video for the song was set in Louisiana). It was eventually released as a single (removing the solo acoustic guitar intro) and reached #83 on the American charts.

The record's third single was "I Saw Red", a power ballad inspired by a true story of betrayal. It was written after Lane had walked in on his girlfriend in bed with his best friend, resulting in his nervous breakdown and the delayed release of the band's first record Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich. When it was released as a single, it reached #10 on the American charts, becoming their second Top 10 single.

Cultural references

The song "Cherry Pie" from this album is featured in the video game Guitar Hero II. It is also featured as Nancy Gribble's cell phone ring tone on King of the Hill, in an advertisement for XM radio, and in the twelfth episode of the animated series Mission Hill.

On May 1, 2007, "Cherry Pie" was featured on ECW's Extreme Expose.

Track listing

All tracks by Jani Lane except where noted

1. "Cherry Pie" – 3:20
2. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" – 4:01
3. "I Saw Red" – 3:47
4. "Bed of Roses" (Bonnie Hayes, Lane) – 4:04
5. "Sure Feels Good to Me" (Johnny B. Frank, Lane, Danny Stag) – 2:39
6. "Love in Stereo" – 3:06
7. "Blind Faith" – 3:33
8. "Song and Dance Man" – 2:58
9. "You're the Only Hell Your Mama Ever Raised" – 3:34
10. "Mr. Rainmaker" – 3:29
11. "Train, Train" (Blackfoot cover) – 2:49
12. "Ode to Tipper Gore" [Live] (Warrant) – 0:54

Bonus tracks

1. "Game of War (Demo)" - 3:38
2. "The Power (Demo)" - 3:00

Personnel

Band

• Jani Lane - vocals, arranger
• Joey Allen - guitar
• Erik Turner - guitar, arrangement
• Jerry Dixon - bass
• Steven Sweet - drums

Additional musicians

• C. C. DeVille - guitar
• Mike Slamer - guitar
• Scott Warren - Keyboards
• Bruno Ravel - backing vocals
• Steve West - backing vocals
• Fiona - backing vocals
• Alan Hewitt (musician) - organ, piano, strings
• Beau Hill - organ, banjo, arrangement, keyboards, production, mixing
• Paul Harris - piano, strings
• Juke Logan - harmonica

Additional personnel

• Jimmy Hoyson - engineering, mixing
• Martin Horenburg - assistant engineer
• Dave Collins - digital editing, sequencing
• Hugh Syme - art direction, design
• Danny Stag - arrangements
• Johnny B. Frank - arrangements
• Ted Jensen - mastering

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1990	The Billboard 200	7

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1990	"Cherry Pie"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	19
		The Billboard Hot 100	10
	"I Saw Red"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	14
		The Billboard Hot 100	10
1991	"Blind Faith"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	39
		The Billboard Hot 100	88
	"Uncle Tom's Cabin"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	19
		The Billboard Hot 100	78

Video album

Cherry Pie: Quality You Can Taste is the second video album from "Warrant" released in 1991. The video features backstage interviews, concert clips including a preview of the band's next album and the music videos from Cherry Pie.

1. Cherry Pie
2. I Saw Red
3. Blind Faith
4. Uncle Tom's Cabin
5. I Saw Red (Acoustic version)