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

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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.

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 1978 revised version of Magazine.[7]

Chart performance

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References

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  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. ^ Magazine (liner notes). Heart. Mushroom Records. 1978. R 143366.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  9. ^ "Heart Album & Song Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  10. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, June 24, 1978". Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  11. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  12. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.