In the Heart fan community, there are five songs that are referred to as “The Big 5.” These songs are Heart’s most well-known and time-enduring songs in the eyes of the popular culture. The first of the five songs is “Magic Man.” “Magic Man” was Heart’s very first single off of their debut album, Dreamboat Annie. An upbeat rocker, this song was written by Ann Wilson about her boyfriend, Michael Fisher. Fun fact! Michael Fisher was band’s manager and the brother of the band’s lead guitarist, Roger Fisher. The second song on this list is also from the Dreamboat Annie album and is called “Crazy On You.” This is my favorite Heart song as it is so complex and well-written. This acoustic-hard rock song was written in response to the Women’s Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. It speaks to the inward insanity we all feel while still needing to be productive members of society. It could be appropriate today, don’t you think? Next on the list is “Barracuda,” one of the most iconic guitar riffs of all time. Released on the album Little Queen, Ann wrote this song in response to a record company guy who made innappropriate sexual comments about her and her sister, Nancy. When you ask people what their favorite Heart song is, odds are that it will be “Barracuda.” Moving into the 80’s, the fourth song on the list is “These Dreams.” Released on their self-titled album Heart, this was their first number one single. Fun fact! Nancy actually sang this song, which is not the usual, and it reached #1! Lastly on the list is “Alone,” another #1 single which was released on the Bad Animals album. You’ve probably heard this song at karaoke or on some dramatic teenage show. So there are the “Big 5” as it pertains to Heart fans. While I would only put one of these songs in my top 10 (“Crazy On You”), these are all vitally important songs in the Heart catalogue.

Happy Valentine’s Day, or as we call it in the Heart world, HAPPY HEART DAY! February 14 is a big day in Heart history. First off, Heart’s very first album, Dreamboat Annie, was released on this day in 1976. Yes, that means that it is turning 41 years old this year! Time flies with good music. Their fifth album, Bebe Le Strange, was released on this day in 1980. Lastly, their original lead guitarist, Roger Fisher, has his birthday today. Fisher was one of the founding members of Heart in the early 70’s. He appeared on 4 Heart albums: Dreamboat Annie, Little Queen, Magazine, and Dog and Butterfly. During the tour in support of Dog and Butterfly, Roger was dismissed from the band. This is due to a combination of drug abuse, alcoholism, egoism, and jealousy. Fisher had dated Nancy Wilson for a few years. However, Nancy broke up with Roger to date the band’s drummer, Mike Derosier. During the tour, Roger was so mad at an out of tune guitar that he smashed his guitar onstage in frustration. This is now known as the “Great Ka-bong.” Later in the dressing room, Fisher smashed a guitar on the wall next to Nancy’s head, and soon after he was voted out of the band. Now isn’t that just a romantic story for you Heart holiday? Do you have a favorite Heart love song? Let me know in the comments!

When a band has been together for as long as Heart has, it becomes almost impossible to rank every album that they have ever released. In coming weeks, I’ll look at compilation albums, live albums, and all of the “Greatest Hits” that they have given us. For today, I am going to rank the 15 Heart studio albums in order from my least favorite to my favorite and list the best/key tracks. DISCLAIMER: My least favorite Heart album is still better than a great album by anyone else, so when I say it’s my least favorite, I still like it!

15) Magazine – 1978

Key Tracks: “Heartless,” “Without You,” “Devil Delight”

14) Bad Animals – 1987

Key Tracks: “Alone,” “There’s the Girl,” “Who Will You Run To?”

13) Passionworks – 1983

Key Tracks: “How Can I Refuse,” “Allies,” “(Beat By) Jealousy”

12) Bebe Le Strange – 1980

Key Tracks: “Bebe Le Strange,” “Even It Up,” “Silver Wheels”

11) Beautiful Broken – 2016

Key Tracks: “Beautiful Broken,” “Two,” “I Jump”

10) Private Audition – 1982

Key Tracks: “City’s Burning,” “Bright Light Girl,” “This Man is Mine”

9) Little Queen – 1977

Key Tracks: “Barracuda,” “Kick It Out,” “Love Alive”

8) Desire Walks On – 1993

Key Tracks: “Back to Avalon,” “Black on Black II,” “Will You Be There (In the Morning)”

7) Jupiter’s Darling – 2004

Key Tracks: “Perfect Stranger,” “Things,” “Oldest Story In the World”

6) Heart – 1985

Key Tracks: “These Dreams,” “Never,” “What About Love”

5) Red Velvet Car – 2010

Key Tracks: “WTF,” “Hey You,” “Sand”

4) Brigade – 1990

Key Tracks: “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You,” “Stranded,” “Wild Child”

3) Fanatic – 2012

Key Tracks: “Fanatic,” “Dear Old America,” “A Million Miles”

2) Dreamboat Annie – 1976

Key Tracks: “Crazy On You,” “Magic Man,” “Dreamboat Annie”

1) Dog and Butterfly – 1978

Key Tracks: “Dog and Butterfly,” “Straight On,” “Mistral Wind”

Let me hear from you! What’s your favorite Heart album? Do you prefer the edgy 70’s, the glossy 80’s, the raw 90’s, or the rocking current stuff?

Here is a link to Heart performing their most famous song, “Barracuda.” This was filmed in June of 2016 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. Enjoy!

Heart is my FAVORITE band of all time. Heart was formed right around 1970 (plus or minus a few years depending on who you ask) in Seattle, Washington. While there have been more than 30 members in Heart over the past 40 some years, the two constant members are Ann and Nancy Wilson. The Wilson sisters are the creative and dynamic force behind Heart, writing most of their songs and each playing multiple instruments. I’ll definitely be posting more about them since they are without a doubt two of my greatest inspirations. Heart has toured the world, sold more than 35 million albums, are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and have released 15 studio albums. I think you’ll find that the best way to find out more about who Heart is is through each individual post I make. Each week, I am going to focus in on a certain time period of Heart history, and I will be able to explain all of the important events of the era.

Welcome and thank you for checking out my first blog ever! I have chosen my favorite band, Heart, as the topic. Not totally sure who Heart is? No problem, a lot of people don’t know who they are by name, but they sure do know a lot of their songs! “Barracuda,” “Crazy On You,” “These Dreams,” “Alone,” and “Magic Man” are just a FEW of their hits. In fact, they have had 22 Top 40 hits in their career that has spanned over 40 years! I am going to use this blog to share some Heart history, band updates, fun facts, photos, and videos. I’d love as much feedback as possible, so if there are any discussions, questions, or song requests, let me know. Thanks!