Keep On Loving You

Zoo Freaks, get ready to vibe with some sweet trivia about REO Speedwagon's "Keep On Loving You" from their blockbuster album Hi Infidelity! Frontman Kevin Cronin shared a wild story about the song’s creation in a 2017 Ultimate Classic Rock interview, revealing he woke up one night with three simple piano chords looping in his head. He crafted the song, but his bandmates weren’t sold on it at first, thinking it was too soft for their rock roots. Cronin had to fight tooth and nail with Epic Records to even include it on the album, as the label’s A&R team didn’t think it was a hit. Boy, were they wrong! The song soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1981, proving its raw emotional power. Cronin later told Songfacts that the song came from a personal place—his marriage was crumbling amid infidelity, and the lyrics reflect his struggle to hold on despite the pain. That heart-wrenching honesty, paired with Gary Richrath’s cranked-up guitar, turned this power ballad into a genre-defining anthem.

Another cool tidbit comes from the song’s music video, which Cronin himself called out as hilariously low-budget. In a Songfacts interview, he joked that the video, directed by Bruce Gowers, made the band look like “even bigger dorks than we were.” Shot in a single day alongside three other videos, it features Cronin spilling his heart to a hot psychiatrist, a quirky setup that somehow worked. The video got heavy rotation when MTV launched in 1981, helping keep Hi Infidelity glued to the charts. Fans on X still rave about the song’s impact, with posts like one from @kcreospeedwagon in 2022 quoting Stereogum: “REO Speedwagon weaponized the power ballad, fusing soft rock & hard rock into one unstoppable whole.” The song’s universal appeal shines through in covers by artists like The Donnas and Lisa Loeb, and its use in films like 1982’s The Last American Virgin.

Now, let’s rewind to how REO Speedwagon kicked off their journey. Formed in 1967 in Champaign, Illinois, the band sprouted from a chance meeting between keyboardist Neal Doughty and drummer Alan Gratzer at the University of Illinois. Both were students, with Doughty dabbling on his parents’ piano and Gratzer pounding drums in local bands. They bonded over Beatles tunes and started jamming, naming the band after a fire truck Doughty spotted in a history class—a nod to the Reo Motor Car Company’s Speed Wagon. By 1971, they’d signed with Epic Records, but it wasn’t until Kevin Cronin joined as lead vocalist in 1972 (after a brief earlier stint) that their sound solidified. Their early years were gritty, building a Midwest fanbase through relentless touring. The 1978 album You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish went platinum, setting the stage for Hi Infidelity’s 10x platinum explosion in 1980, which sold over 10 million copies.

Zoo Freaks, you can keep up with REO Speedwagon at their official website, where you’ll find tour dates and merch. Connect with them on Facebook for live updates and throwback pics, or follow their Instagram for behind-the-scenes shots. On X, they share fan love and milestones, like their 2021 induction into the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum. For fan communities, check out the REO Speedwagon Fan Club on Facebook, where diehards swap stories and concert memories. There’s also speedwagon.com, a fan-run site packed with discographies and news. Crank up “Keep On Loving You” and let the good vibes roll!