Ten Essential Heart Songs
10. "Crazy On You" (Dreamboat Annie)
This list turned out harder than anticipated as I had to leave off songs like"Stranded", "Will You Be There (In The Morning)", and even a few of their classic rock gems. "Crazy On You" is about the best example of a Heart song you'll find as it features their blending of acoustic and hard rock. The song starts of with furious strumming on an acoustic guitar until the rest of the band kicks in. This song makes me think of driving on the highway in the summer with the windows rolled down- I guess some songs are just perfect for those moments.
9. "Dream Of The Archer" (Little Queen)
For years I was mostly familiar with Heart's 1980's ballads and synth-driven songs, not realizing it was the same band behind great classic rock staples like "Magic Man" and "Barracuda." I was even more surprised to hear this tranquil acoustic song, showing off the vast musical range of this band. I almost... almost prefer this acoustic rock hybrid to their 80's material.
8. "Bebe Le Strange" (Bebe Le Strange)
This sounds like they borrowed some Led Zeppelin riffs but if you're going to borrow something, why not take from the best.
7. "What About Love" (Heart)
I recall hearing this song in a Burger King commerical, along with other classic rock songs like Foreigner's "Urgent." I don't know if Ann is thinking about a love of fast food.. I'm not going with any obvious fat jokes here, but it does sound like she's really in love by the song's end. It's a good vocal performance from Ann, which earns it's place as an "essential" song.
6. "Kick It Out" (Little Queen)
I'd honestly forgotten about this gem until the Foo Fighters invited the Wilson sisters to perform it with them during their week-long stint on the Late Show with David Letterman last year. I'm surprised this isn't a classic rock staple, or maybe it is, just not in this corner of the Midwest.
5. "Black On Black" (Desire Walks On)
Most 1980's bands seemed lost once grunge took over in the early 1990's but some tried to weather the storm, possibly driving them to release some of their best material. KISS dropped the neon in favor of leather and released Revenge in 1992, while Heart ditched the synthesizers and released Desire Walks On in 1994. Holy cow, is this song killer.
4. "Even It Up" (Bebe Le Strange)
This song is so jazzy, they even added a horn section.
3. "Alone" (Bad Animals)
My friend Bill has said I've got a heavy metal exterior with an easy listening core, which is true since my favorite songs from hard rock bands seem to be among their lighter material. Heart's no different and I have a soft spot for their ballads. It sounds even better stripped down, such as in this video.
2. "These Dreams" (Heart)
I'm sure this was my introduction to Heart, through their music videos of the 1980's. I wasn't aware of the names but it stood out amongst the synthesized ballads of that decade. Pretty cool accomplishment that Nancy's first time on vocals for a single was also their first "number one" single. It stands out even more some 30 years later because they were able to reinvent themselves during the 1980's, then again during the 1990's with a return to their rock roots, and now here they are in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
1. "Barracuda" (Little Queen)
This song is likely their most recognizable but that isn't why it's made it to the top of the list. I've become obsessed with classic rock bands who've released unplugged recordings and one from Heart flew under my radar. I discovered their album, The Road Home, on a trip to a local record shop with my good buddy Nick and I popped it in the car stereo. I remember flipping to "Barracuda", we were both instantly blown away, and once the track finished we had the same reaction: "encore!"
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