BILL MESNIK PRESENTS: THE SUNNY SIDE OF MY STREET - SONGS TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD - EPISODE #50: CHERRY BOMB by The Runaways (Mercury, 1976)

DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS

A Cherry Bomb is a spherical exploding device, banned in 1966, but whose pop is enjoyed throughout the nation as a salute by rebellious teenagers everywhere. A “cherry” is also a moniker for a virgin’s hymen, the “popping” of which was a badge of honor for teenage boys everywhere. Cherie Curry, the lead singer of The Runaways, an all-girl, hard rocking band devised by notorious L.A. huckster Kim Fowley, sang the anthemic Cherry Bomb - the explosive debut single by that group. And there you have it: a circle within a circle, a wheel within a wheel - a brilliant conceptual confluence for rock n roll rejuvenation.

But it wasn’t just hype and corsets - these players: Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Cherrie Curry, Jackie Fox, and Sandy West were the real deal, and this song - written on the spot by Joan for Cherie’s audition, exploded in people’s ears just like its gunpowder namesake, and it catapulted to #6 on the Billboard chart.

What is it about that (ch-ch-ch) stutter, used by David Bowie in Changes, and in a “G” variation by Roger Daltrey in The Who’s My Generation that lights up our fuses? It’s like the ticking of the ignition device right before the big explosion. And, the way Cherie calls out: “Hello Daddy, Hello Mom, I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch CHERRY BOMB!” is so defiant, and so perfect in that snide, teenage delinquent way, that I just can’t help but identify.