The Heart of the Matter

Last Saturday night I was out with my wolfpack celebrating the birthday of a lovely wildcat, JG, at Rockfellas in Salem, Mass.  (No, Jay-Z wasn't there.  I don't want to talk about it.) Rockfellas is a delightful little place should you ever have occasion to go to Salem, but, beforewarned, Salem should be famous for it's potholes as well as it's witch trials.  Drive with caution.  

That hair is what dreams are made of.

Anyway, I was digging the cover band made up of four petite men who played 80's, dance and rock. (Not 80's dance rock, as I originally thought -- I was pretty surprised when I heard them play Kings of Leon.)  I liked them immediately because before the show they complimented my new boots.  (Although they used lyrics sheets for their songs.  Aren't reputable cover bands suppose to memorize the lyrics?  Hell, I knew the lyrics to all their songs.  Which is just another reason that I should be in a band.)  But, all in all, they were fine: the crowd was feeling the music, everyone was dancing and singing along. 

That is until the opening cords of Heart's Alone came on.  The dance floor cleared.  The room went silent.  Suddenly, it was a duet between me and the lead singer.  To say that this was not a crowd of Heart fans would be an understatement.  At one point someone came up to us and said, "Oh, great, music to slit my wrists to."  The song full-on tanked.

I love Heart.  I have long been pulling for them to make a Journey-esque revival as a cover band staple. My question is, why hasn't it happened? Why do some bands make the resurgence into pop culture and some don't?  Why Journey and not Heart?  Heart had more hits than Journey over a longer period of time -- they were even in an episode of Glee! 

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Journey fan -- Separate Ways is one of my karaoke songs and, if I do say so myself, it's pretty powerful.  I'm just wondering why Heart isn't appreciated for their contribution to rock history?   So, without further ado, here are some of my reasons why Heart should be appreciated  as a great rock band, presented in no particular order.

They are pioneers.  Heart was the first hard rock band to have two females in the lead in sister-duo Ann and Nancy Wilson.

They are versatile.  Heart's hit songs ranged from hard rock (Barracuda) to folk (Dreamboat Annie) to pop (There's the Girl) to, my personal favorite, power ballads (Alone, What About Love, Crazy on You).

Controversy followed them.  Ranging from legal battles with management to lesbian sister rumors to fights on stage, Heart knew that people love a basketcase.

The Eminem connection.  The hook for my very favorite Eminem song is a Heart sample from Crazy On You.

Complicated relationships.  Sisters dating brothers and an inter-band love triangle made Heart a soap opera worth following.

Longevity.  Heart is formed in 1973 and still performs today.  That's a long time to keep rocking.

The music.  Their songs are awesome, and I promise that you actually know way more Heart songs than you think you do.  If you doubt me, click a link to hear the song.  Alone, Dreamboat Annie, These Dreams, All I Want to Do is Make Love to You, Barracuda, Crazy On You, If Looks Could Kill, What About Love, Will You Be There in the Morning.

For God's sake, the hair!  In the eighties, Heart full-on perfected rock star hair.  It was like a combination of Cyndi Lauper and Garth Algar. 

So, for these reasons and many more, I present my plea to you.  Wildcats, will you please consider joining me in my quest to bring Heart back?  Your country, and cover bands across America, need you.

Thank you for your consideration.

xo kate