High Roller (song)
1978 song performed by Cheap Trick
"High Roller" is a song written by Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, and Tom Petersson that was first released on Cheap Trick's 1978 album Heaven Tonight. It later appeared on a number of Cheap Trick live and compilation albums, and was covered by Scrawl on their 1991 album Bloodsucker.
Cheap Trick version
Although it did not appear until their third album, "High Roller" dates back to the mid-1970s and was one of the first songs the band wrote after coming together. Zander initiated writing the song and came up with the melody, and Nielsen and Petersson chipped in to fill in parts when Zander felt the song needed something more. The lyrics were inspired by a drug dealer from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The song's protagonist brags about being a "high roller" and that "I always get the things that I choose."
The riff was adapted from the rhythm and blues standard "Route 66." Critic Dave Swanson describes the riff as "simple and dynamic" and praises Nielsen's guitar solo. On the other hand, critic Bryan Wawzenek is particularly effusive in praising Bun E. Carlos's drumming on the song, comparing his fills to The Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts. Wawzenek also uses the song as an example of how Carlos can "pound along with the best glam drummers," and states that there is "not a beat out of place." Wawzenek also calls Zander's singing "great," remarking how he makes "the hot-shot lothario" who is the protagonist of the song "sound both really cool and really dangerous." Bob Sled also praises the way the vocal "shifts convincingly" between rocking and introspection. Author Mike Hayes states that Tom Werman's production on Heaven Tonight softened the song compared to its live renditions.
In Australia, "High Roller" was released as the B-side of Heaven Tonight's second single "California Man." It was performed at the 1978 concerts in Japan that led to the live album Cheap Trick at Budokan but was not included on the original 1979 release of that album.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16843179. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1978, 1991 and 1979.
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