Stages (song)

"Stages"
Single by ZZ Top
from the album Afterburner
Released1986
Recorded1985
GenreHard rock
Length3:32
LabelWarner Bros.
SongwritersBilly Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard
ProducerBill Ham
ZZ Top singles chronology
"Sleeping Bag"
(1985)		 "Stages"
(1986)		 "Woke Up with Wood"
(1986)

"Stages" is a song by American rock band ZZ Top. It was released as the second single from their ninth studio album Afterburner (1985). It peaked at number 21 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for two weeks.

Release and reception

During the week of December 6, 1985, Radio & Records said that 62 percent of album oriented rock radio stations reporting to the publication had included "Stages" in their playlists.[1] By January 1986, the song was amongst the most added songs to contemporary hit radio, with Billboard reporting that the song had received 100 adds during the week ending January 18, 1986.[2] That same month, a music video was serviced to MTV, where it received power rotation.[3]

Upon its release as a single, Cashbox called "Stages" "melodic, driving, and danceable."[4] Billboard characterized it as "rollicking" and "high-powered" with "thick keyboard backing".[5] In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said that the song was a "terrific post-new wave rocker" that was the poppiest thing they ever cut".[6]

Formats and track listings

  • 7-inch single (United States)[7]
  1. "Stages" – 3:32
  2. "Can't Stop Rockin'" – 3:01
  • 12-inch single (United States)[8]
  1. "Stages" (extended version) – 5:05
  2. "Stages" – 3:32
  3. "Hi Fi Mama" – 2:22

Charts

Chart (1986) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 63
Canada (RPM)[10] 42
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 23
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12]40
UK Singles (Official Charts)[13]43
US Billboard Hot 100[14]21
US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[15] 1

References

  1. ↑ "AOR Tracks" (PDF). Radio & Records. December 6, 1985. p. 63. Retrieved March 26, 2026 – via World Radio History.
  2. ↑ "Hot 100 Singles Action" (PDF). Billboard. January 18, 1986. p. 55. Retrieved March 26, 2026 – via World Radio History.
  3. ↑ "MTV Programming" (PDF). Billboard. February 8, 1986. p. 52. Retrieved March 26, 2026 – via World Radio History.
  4. ↑ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cashbox. January 11, 1986. p. 11. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Reviews". Billboard. January 11, 1986. p. 67. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  6. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "ZZ Top Afterburner review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  7. ↑ Stages (liner notes). ZZ Top. Warner Bros. 1985. 7-28810.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ↑ Stages (liner notes). ZZ Top. Warner Bros. 1985. 0-20431.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - March 1, 1986" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "Irish singles positions" (To access, enter the search parameter "ZZ Top" in the "Search by Artist" field). Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  12. ↑ "ZZ Top – Stages". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 15/2/1986 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  14. ↑ "ZZ Top Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  15. ↑ "ZZ Top – Chart History: Mainstream Rock Tracks". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.