"The Heart of Rock & Roll" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Huey Lewis and the News | ||||
from the album Sports | ||||
B-side | "Workin' for a Livin'" (Live) [1] | |||
Released | April 10, 1984 | |||
Recorded | 1983 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 5:01 (album version) 3:58 (single version) | |||
Label | Chrysalis | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Huey Lewis and the News | |||
Huey Lewis and the News singles chronology | ||||
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"The Heart of Rock & Roll" is a song performed by Huey Lewis and the News, released as the third single from their 1983 album Sports in 1984. The single peaked at number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
The song was inspired by a gig the band played in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland, at the time was known for its rock scene, but the band remained defiant of this claim believing their hometown of San Francisco had the better scene. After playing the show Lewis relented, with initially the title phrase being "The heart of rock and roll is in Cleveland", based on a comment Lewis made to the band, but he changed it to "The heart of rock and roll is still beating". According to him the message of the song is "There's real rock and roll in other places than LA or New York." [2]
The B-side to the single is a live version of "Workin' for a Livin'". [1] The music video was recorded in March 1984 featuring skits with the band as well as footage of concerts filmed in New York City and Los Angeles. [3]
Upon the suggestion of their record company, the band produced various regional versions of the single in which, after mention of Detroit toward the end of the song, Lewis calls out one or more cities not in the lyrics of the album version (e.g. New Haven, St. Louis, Toronto). [4] [5]
Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone said "a fancy-pants sax solo and some moronic lyrics sabotage the spirited 'Heart of Rock & Roll' (it's still kicking, says Huey), which should have ended a minute and a half earlier." [6]
At the first annual MTV Video Music Awards , which aired on September 14, 1984, the song was nominated for "Best Group Video", losing to ZZ Top's "Legs". [3] The song was also nominated for Record of the Year at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards, losing to Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It". [3] The group performed the song at the ceremony. [3]
In April 2009, Blender magazine listed it sixth on its list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever". [7]
Chart (1984) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[ citation needed ] | 58 |
Canadian RPM 50 Singles [8] [9] | 8 |
German Singles Chart [10] | 71 |
New Zealand Singles Chart [11] | 21 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [12] | 6 |
US Billboard Album Rock Tracks [13] | 5 |
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles Chart [14] | 49 |
Year-end chart (1984) | Rank |
---|---|
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard) [15] | 44 |
The music video was a complicated video to produce, according to director Edd Griles. "The complications occurred when we filmed in New York for 13 hours straight on the Brooklyn Bridge and then later in Times Square. In Brooklyn, we had the camera in the helicopter, but the 'copter couldn't get in close enough and the bridge was windy, so the shot took a long time. In Times Square, it was only 21 degrees out and the band was dressed in either short sleeves or light jackets. As you know, filming takes time, lots of it, so Huey and the band were out there freezing their toes off in between takes," the director recalled. [16] Also, Lewis's wife was expecting a baby, which caused delays and problems. [16]
Clips from several 1950s rock 'n roll greats (in chronological order): Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Roy Orbison, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry (and his famous "duckwalk").
Huey Lewis and the News is an American pop rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, and Mainstream Rock charts. Their sound draws upon earlier pop, rhythm & blues and doo-wop artists, and their own material has been labeled as blue-eyed soul, new wave, power pop, and roots rock.
Sports is the third album by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, released on September 15, 1983, by Chrysalis Records. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 on June 30, 1984, and ultimately charted for 160 weeks. Sports was ranked No. 2 on the Billboard year-end album chart for 1984 and spawned four top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Heart and Soul" and "The Heart of Rock & Roll" earning Grammy Award nominations. Sports also did very well internationally, where most of its singles charted in the top 40 in multiple countries. The album has been certified 7× Platinum by the RIAA.
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"Centerfold" is a song by the J. Geils Band, released in September 1981 as the lead single from their tenth album Freeze Frame. The most successful single of the group's career, it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1982 and held that spot for six consecutive weeks.
"Do You Believe in Love" is the first US top-ten hit for the American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, peaking at number seven in April 1982, off their second album Picture This. It was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange.
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"Hip to Be Square" is a song by Huey Lewis and the News, written by Bill Gibson, Sean Hopper, and Huey Lewis, and released in 1986 as the second single from the multi-platinum album Fore!.
"If This Is It" is a song by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News. It was released as the fourth single from their number-one album Sports in 1983, and became their fifth top-ten and third consecutive number-six hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number five on the Adult Contemporary chart, and then became their first UK hit single, reaching number 39 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is written in 12
8 time signature.
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"Stuck with You" is a song by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, written by guitarist Chris Hayes and lead singer Huey Lewis. Released in 1986, it was the first single from the band's fourth album, Fore!. The song spent three weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's second number-one hit on the chart. Internationally, the song became the band's second top-20 hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, and peaked within the top 10 in Australia, Canada, Iceland, South Africa, and New Zealand.
"Workin' for a Livin'" is a single by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, released in 1982. Included on their 1982 album Picture This, the song peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, and number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. A live version appears as a B-side to the single "The Heart of Rock & Roll".
"Joanna" is a song by Kool & the Gang from their 1983 album In the Heart. It was released as a single in November 1983.
"Nothin' But a Good Time" is the first single from the hard rock/glam metal group Poison's second studio album Open Up and Say... Ahh!, with the band releasing that album in May 1988. B-sides "Livin' for the Minute" and "Look But You Can't Touch" were included in the single's release.
This article presents the discography for the American band Huey Lewis and the News. Huey Lewis and the News have sold over 30 million albums worldwide and are ranked in the top 200 selling groups of all time by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"Heart and Soul" is a song written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn and made famous by Huey Lewis and the News. The song was first recorded by Exile in 1981 as the title track to their album Heart and Soul. Exile's single failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 102 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. The song was also recorded by the BusBoys for their 1982 album American Worker.
"Fooled Around and Fell in Love" is a song written and performed by blues guitarist Elvin Bishop with Mickey Thomas on lead vocals. It appeared on his 1975 album Struttin' My Stuff, and was released as a single the following year.
"Hold On" is a song written and first recorded by the Canadian singer and songwriter Ian Thomas, on his 1981 album The Runner. His version reached No. 28 on the Canadian pop singles chart.
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