Heartless (Heart song)

"Heartless" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Heart in 1976 for their album Magazine. Issues with the band's previous record label Mushroom caused a delay in the album's release and "Heartless" was released as a single two years later, after the re-issue of their first single "Crazy on You".[3]

"Heartless"
Single by Heart
from the album Magazine[2]
B-side"Just the Wine"
ReleasedMarch 1978 (US) [1]
Recorded1976
GenreHard rock
Length3:54 (Promo Version)
5:00 (Album/Single Version)
LabelMushroom Records
Songwriter(s)Ann Wilson
Nancy Wilson
Producer(s)Mike Flicker
Heart singles chronology
"Kick It Out"
(1977)
"Heartless"
(1978)
"Straight On"
(1978)

Background edit

The song is an aggressive hard rock number that opens with a slower synthesizer based interlude before opening up into a full hard rock tune. The lyrics involve a scorned lover who apparently can't get away from the grasp of her heartless partner. "The doctor said come back again next week / I think that you need me / All she did was cry / She wanted to die doctor when can you see me / There's a guy out there / Seems like he's everywhere / It just ain't fair."[4]

"Heartless" and "Without You" were the only singles released from Magazine, with "Heartless" peaking at number twenty-four on the US Billboard Hot 100. Cash Box particularly praised the vocals and bass guitar playing.[5] Record World called it "straight-ahead, rather funky rock, with Ann Wilson's vocal the centerpiece."[6] Only five months passed before Heart released their next album, Dog and Butterfly.

Chart performance edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Heart singles". dutchcharts.nl.
  2. ^ "Heart - Magazine review". allmusic.com. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Sorscher, Zach. "Sound Advice: Heart's 'unauthorized' album is the real deal". Goldmine Magazine.
  4. ^ "Heartless". lyrictalk.net.
  5. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 8, 1978. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  6. ^ "Record World Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. April 8, 1978. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  7. ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  8. ^ "Heart Album & Song Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  9. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, June 24, 1978". Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  10. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.