We always enjoyed Ian Hunter’s “Cleveland Rocks” from his 1979 album You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic. Cleveland rock station WMMS played it regularly and it was so popular with the City of Cleveland that Hunter was awarded the key to the city by the Mayor.
So when a new sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, emerged in the late ’90s, set in Cleveland and using an almost identical version of “Cleveland Rocks” recorded by The Presidents of the United States of America, we were intrigued.
The series debuted on September 13, 1995 and ran for nine seasons and a whopping 233 episodes. The show ended its run on September 8, 2004.
Here’s our Classic Video of the full sequence, expertly choreographed with a cast of thousands, as they visit Cleveland’s biggest tourist attractions including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…
Since 2007, Carey, born May 23, 1958, has hosted the game show The Price is Right since 2007.
Listen to a great live version of “Cleveland Rocks” from Hunter’s 1980 Welcome to the Club double-LP
Related: Our interview with Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott on his admiration for Mott the Hoople
And a bonus… the series had also used the Vogues’ “Five O’Clock World” for its theme song, again with their trademark choreography…
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationAnd here it is again when Ian played with Ringo and the All Starrs! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA1HGyr0UY4
Long live the Horndogs with local boy Joe Walsh on guitar! Lots of musical connections weaved into the story lines over nine years. https://news.avclub.com/the-drew-carey-show-s-musical-guests-were-as-absurd-as-1798284466