The Heart of Rock & Roll
| The Heart of Rock & Roll | |
|---|---|
| Huey Lewis & the News | |
| publication | April 10, 1984 (USA) |
| length | 05:01; as single 03:58; Maxi single 05:00 |
| Author (s) | Huey Lewis , Johnny Colla |
| Publisher (s) | Chrysalis Records |
| album | Sports |
| Cover version | |
| 1984 | Johnny Hallyday |
" The Heart of Rock & Roll " is a song by Johnny Colla and Huey Lewis from 1983, which became famous in the interpretation of the American rock band Huey Lewis & the News . It was a top ten hit in the US. The music video for this song won a Grammy Award in 1986 .
background
In terms of content, the song is about the fact that rock and roll (in the USA) has not yet died despite all the popular music changes and trends.
- Text example
When they play their music, ooh that modern music
They like it with a lot of style
But it's still that same old back beat rhythm
That really, really drives' em wild
They say the heart of rock and roll is still beating
And from what I 've seen I believe' em
Now the old boy may be barely breathing
But the heart of rock and roll, heart of rock n roll is still beating
When they play their music, oh, this modern music they
like it with a lot of style
But it's still the same old backbeat rhythm that
makes them really, really wild
They say that the heart of rock and roll is still beating,
and after what I've seen I'd believe them.
Maybe the old boy is barely breathing
But the heart of rock and roll, the heart of rock and roll is still beating.
During the song, singer Huey Lewis names a total of 14 American cities: New York , Los Angeles , Washington , San Antonio (called “San Antone” in the song ), Liberty ( called “the Liberty Town” in the song), Boston , Baton Rouge , Tulsa , Austin , Oklahoma City , Seattle and San Francisco . In the outro , Cleveland and Detroit are finally mentioned . Lewis makes a connection by singing that there is music everywhere, there are bands in many styles, but in the end all of them are driven by the old rock and roll music.
Excerpt
Everywhere there's music, real live music, bands with a million styles
But It's still that some old rock and roll music
that really drives' em wild
There's music everywhere, real live music, bands with a million styles.
But it's still the old rock and roll music
that really drives them wild.
Musicians involved in the first recording
- Huey Lewis - vocals , harmonica
- Mario Cipollina - bass
- Johnny Colla - guitar , saxophone
- Bill Gibson - drums , percussion
- Chris Hayes - guitar
- Sean Hopper - keyboard
- Tower of Power brass section
- Emilio Castillo (tenor saxophone)
- Richard Elliot (tenor saxophone)
- Stephen 'Doc' Kupka (baritone saxophone)
- Greg Adams (trumpet)
- Lee Thornburg (trumpet)
publication
The song was included on the Sports album and was released as the third single and released on April 10, 1984. The B-side of the single was a live version of the song Workin 'for a Livin' , which was already released as a single in July 1982. In Spain, the single appeared with an additional imprint in Spanish ("El Corazon del Rock & Roll") on the cover.
The French musician Johnny Hallyday recorded a cover version of the song in French ( Le cœur du rock'n'roll ) in the same year .
The song was released a second time as a single in the UK in 1986. This time, the song Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do, which was released on the album Picture This in 1982, served as the B-side . In addition to the standard edition as a 7-inch (17.5-cm) record, a limited edition in a hinged cover was also issued, which contained two 7-inch records. The second record included the songs Tattoo (Giving It All Up For Love), written by Phil Lynott and released on his 1980 album Solo in Soho , and Bad Is Bad . The combination of the four songs was also found on the 12-inch (30 cm) vinyl record, which was sold as an EP , and which was also offered as a picture disc .
reception
The song reached number 6 in the US singles charts in 1984 and reached number 71 in Germany. In Great Britain it only entered the charts after the single was re-released in 1986 and reached number 49.
In 2015, the American Michael Feld traveled to all 14 cities that appear in the lyrics and filmed himself singing the song at well-known sights in these places. He covered 10,484 miles in 11 planes, 636 miles in four different trains and 962 miles in a total of five rental cars.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Liner notes by Gary Graff in the booklet of the CD Sports - 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
- ↑ Booklet of the CD
- ↑ ultratop.be - Huey Lewis And The News - The Heart Of Rock & Roll . ultratop.be. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
- ^ Entry at discogs.com , accessed May 27th.
- ↑ coverinfo.de , accessed on May 26, 2016
- ^ Entry at discogs.com , accessed May 27, 2016
- ↑ Superfan visits all 14 cities listed in The Heart of Rock & Roll, January 15, 2016, avclub.com , accessed May 26, 2016