Sunday, October 3, 2010

AOL's Top 10 Heart Songs

A few of our top 10 Heart songs -- which span over three of the band's first four albums -- made sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson the queens of '70s hard rock. After a slight career slump, the group returned in the mid-'80s with a more mainstream pop rock sound, scoring them some of their biggest hits, ever. This list counts down the best Heart songs throughout the band's four-decade career.


10. 'Who Will You Run To'
Penned by Diane Warren, one of the era's most successful songwriters, this Heart song warned an ex-lover that he would never find a love as good as the one he was leaving behind. "Who's gonna love you baby as good as I," protests Ann Wilson. The second single from Heart's 1987 album 'Bad Animals,' the track reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 chart.

9. 'Straight On'
Like every song on the double-platinum 1978 album 'Dog & Butterfly,' 'Straight On' was written by the Wilson sisters with their childhood friend Sue Ennis. The track utilized gambling metaphors like "Now I know I gotta play my hand" and "Got the feel of fortune / Deal me in" to describe a romantic pursuit, highlighted by the aggressive lyric, "I'm comin' straight on for you."

8. 'Never'
The second single from Heart's self-titled 1985 album, 'Never' was one of the band's few '80s hits that Ann and Nancy Wilson had a hand in writing. They co-wrote the track with Holly Knight, who had written hits for female rockers like Pat Benatar and Tina Turner. 'Never' was Heart's first Top 5 hit.

7. 'Barracuda'
Heart's 1977 hit 'Barracuda' has become one of the most recognizable classic rock songs, thanks to its distinctive chugging guitar riff. The song has received numerous references in films and in TV shows -- and was even used during Sarah Palin's 2008 vice presidential campaign. The sisters were not pleased and fired off a cease-and-desist letter, though McCain's campaign continued to use the song.

6. 'All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You'
Written by "Mutt" Lange, the No. 2 hit 'All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You' weaved a soap opera-style tale about meeting a stranger for a one-night stand and having his child. Some time later the two characters met again, leading to the dramatic line, "You can imagine his surprise / When he saw his own eyes."

5. 'Crazy on You'
'Crazy on You' was the group's first single and remains one of the most popular Heart songs. Appearing on the 1976 album 'Dreamboat Annie,' the song peaked with an explosive chorus led by Ann's strong voice. Heart performed 'Crazy on You' during the 2007 VH1 Rock Honors, and the song appeared on the video game 'Guitar Hero II.'

4. 'Magic Man'
'Magic Man' was an autobiographical song Ann wrote about her boyfriend and Heart manager, Mike Fisher, and a conversation she had with her mother about leaving home. "Try to understand," Ann sang, "He's a magic man, mama." The song was Heart's first Top 10 hit, peaking at No. 9 in 1976.

3. 'Alone'
In his search for a power ballad, Heart producer Ron Nevison found 'Alone,' a song written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, whose past credits include 'True Colors,' and 'Like a Virgin.' Although the demo presented to the band had no guitars, the completed version mixed piano-driven verses with a soaring rock chorus, and became Heart's second No. 1 single.

2. 'What About Love?'
By 1985, Heart had only scored two Top 10 hits in their career. Then the band signed with Capitol Records and released a self-titled record with a more commercial sound. The album's first single, 'What About Love?,' re-established the group as a force, peaking at No. 10 on the pop chart.

1. 'These Dreams'
After Stevie Nicks passed on recording 'These Dreams,' the mid-tempo pop song found its way to Heart, and gave Nancy Wilson a rare chance to sing lead. Much of her recording session was spent trying to recreate the raspsy tone in her first take, which had been recorded when she was sick. 'These Dreams' became the group's first No. 1 hit, and our top Heart song.


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