A Band With Heart
Heart had been around a long time—some 18 years—before I really took notice of them. Their song All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You was a huge hit in 1990 and it made its way onto my compilation that year. Once I knew who they were, I began to hear their songs everywhere on the radio.
What About Love, Never, These Dreams, Nothing At All, Who Will You Run To, There’s The Girl and Alone played frequently and quickly became favorites.
I also noticed a poster for Heart’s Brigade album on the all of Zack Morris’s bedroom in a few episodes of Saved By The Bell. I often wondered if the poster was put there by the prop department or if it belonged to Mark-Paul Gosselaar himself.
All I Wanna Do sparked a conversation with a friend about what we would do in the same situation as the song described. If our husband or boyfriend couldn’t give a baby would we have a one night stand to get that baby? I thought I might do it and my friend said she didn’t think she would.
Although the song Alone came out in 1987 off the Bad Animals album, it took on a particular significance to me in 1992. I had feelings for someone and I wanted a chance to get him alone long enough tot talk about those feelings. The melancholy sound fit my fear and longing at that time, so it became our theme. Well, my theme since nothing ever actually happened with him.
Though their 1993 album Desire Walks On was not a huge hit, but I loved their cover of Donna Summer’s Woman In Me. The song stirred desire in me and reminded me of the relationship I was in at the time, particularly the lyrics, “I might be trembling, but I’m not scared. Its just my desire breaking free,” and, “Like the dark side of the full moon, I’ve never showed what I am showing you.”
My friend Nikki loved Heart’s song Will Be There In The Morning. The lyrics “Now baby you’re my obsession, my addiction, my drug. Don’t want to be without you you when I wake up, oh no!” really spoke to her and her relationship at the time.
It wasn’t until 1994 that I discovered Heart’s older songs. My boyfriend at the time had their record Dog and Butterfly as well as Magazine. I was thrilled to hear their cover of the Harry Nilsson song Without You. Mariah Carey had just covered it and it was interesting to hear the differences in each version.
In 1999 the movie The Virgin Suicides featured two Heart Songs, Crazy on You and Magic Man. The Heart Song Barracuda was included in the Shrek The Third movie, but it was covered by Fergie.
After Heart’s 1993 album, they went their separate ways for awhile. Nancy stayed home in order to focus on raising her family, while her sister toured and made music on her own. They returned to their partnership in 2002. They have produced 3 more studio albums and have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. None of their new material has moved me or meant as much as their stuff from the late 80s and early 90s, but they still remain a favorite band of mine.
When their autobiography Kicking and Dreaming came out in 2012, I eagerly got snatched it up from the library to read. There was a lot I didn’t know about the rocker sisters, but quickly discovered as I devoured the book in a day. I recommend the book to any Heart Fan!
carilynn27 