City's Burning

Last updated
"City's Burning"
Song by Heart
from the album Private Audition
Released1982
Genre Rock
Length4:25
Label Epic
Songwriter(s) Ann Wilson
Nancy Wilson
Sue Ennis
Producer(s) Ann Wilson
Nancy Wilson
Sue Ennis
Howard Leese
Music video
"City's Burning" on YouTube

"City's Burning" is a song by the American rock band Heart, which was released in 1982 as the opening track on their sixth studio album Private Audition . It was written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis, and produced by the Wilsons, Ennis and Howard Leese. [1] The song reached No. 15 on the US Billboard Rock Albums & Top Tracks chart. [2] A music video was filmed to promote the song. [3] The song was re-recorded for the band's sixteenth studio album, Beautiful Broken , released in 2016. [4]

Contents

Background

"City's Burning" was inspired by the 1980 murder of John Lennon. In a 1985 interview with Bob Andelman, Ann Wilson revealed: "It was a story we made up. A couple – they get the news about John on the radio or TV, and it tells about each of their reactions." [5]

Reception

Upon release Billboard noted Ann Wilson's vocals on the song, describing them as having a "Plant-like rasp". [6] Joe Konz of The Indianapolis Star wrote: ""City's Burning" promises to be one of the most powerful songs of the year. Its deficient lyrical clout is more than offset by an instrumental tour de force, a ravaging display of heavy metal rock. Equipped with the same harsh phrasing, shrill vocals and heavy-metal guitar licks that powered the hits "Magic Man" and "Barracuda", "City's Burning" runs roughshod over everything else on the band's new LP." [7]

Eric Davis of The Marion Star described the song as one of the album's "loud ones that should satisfy the power bugs". He added: "It's an improvement over previous power jettings by the band, as it includes an interesting tempo and mood change midway through, followed by a wailing, but soulful, lead guitar solo." [8] Mike Diana of Daily Press commented: ""City's Burning" is the only all-out rocker on the album, and even though it pales before what other female rockers have been doing of late, the cut gets the album off with a bang." [9] In a review of one of the band's 1982 concerts, Larry Rhodes of the Daily Press described the song as a "heavy metal screamer about crime-ridden, chaotic city life". [10]

In a retrospective review of the album, Jim Smith of AllMusic stated: "Private Audition starts tough with "City's Burning," possibly the band's most underrated song, but it's dragged down by the trite songwriting that follows." [1]

Charts

Chart (1982)Peak
position
US Billboard Top Rock Tracks [2] 15

Personnel

Heart

Production

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References

  1. 1 2 Jim Smith. "Private Audition - Heart | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  2. 1 2 "Heart Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  3. "Heart - City's Burning". YouTube. 2010-05-17. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  4. Thom Jurek (2016-07-08). "Beautiful Broken - Heart | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  5. Mr. Media® Interviews-Bob Andelman (2016-06-19). "Heart's Ann Wilson on Nancy, songs and Mr. T! | Mr. Media® Interviews". Mrmedia.com. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  6. "Billboard - Google Books". 1982-05-29. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  7. The Indianapolis Star - Heart's new LP is 'disheartening' - Joe Konz - August 29, 1982 - page 7E
  8. The Marion Star - Change of 'Heart' improves music - Eric Davis - July 11, 1982 - page 19
  9. Daily Press - Don't call for 'Private Audition' - Mike Diana - July 16, 1982 - page 23
  10. Daily Press - 'Heart' rates high at concert - Larry Rhodes - October 19, 1982 - page 13