The 20 Best Heart Songs of All-Time
Heart is an American rock band with lead singers Nancy Wilson and Ann Wilson. the group was formed in 1973 with Ann Wilson performing lead vocals. The following year, Ann’s sister Nancy joined the band. Original members of the band also include Michael DeRosier, Steve Fossen, Roger Fisher, and Howard Leese. The ever-popular rock band still gives occasional performances today. After decades of big hits, Heart is still in demand with its adoring fans. Here are the 20 best Heart songs of all time, as ranked by a few different fan groups, for your enjoyment.
20. Bebe Le Strange
Ultimate Classic Rock has its take on which Heart songs were the best. “Bebe Le Strange” is a hit from 1980 that was released on the fifth album that the group released. The hard-hitting song took the rock and roll theme to the limits with Ann Wilson’s rock hard delivery that put fans in mind of Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. It’s about the sexiness and seduction of rock and roll music during a live performance. It further pushes the obsession we have with rock with its heavy guitar riffs and the tempo that shakes you to the core.
19. Straight On
“Straight On” is a hit that was released in 1978 and appeared on the Dog & Butterfly album. This is one of the funkiest tunes that the group released. It rose to the top 20 on the Billboard hit chart and was played on the radio as often as the DJs would fill the requests. It became one of the most popular songs of the year with its powerful vocals and the short but powerful guitar solo.
18. Kick It Out
“Kick It Out” is a song that was released in 1977 on the Little Queen album. It’s a rock and roll song with a southern twinge that features a honky-tonk style piano with guitar riffs that take you over the edge. It’s a little bit of a rebel song that encourages us o “kick out your motor and drive while you’re still alive, Kick it Out!” This was a song that gets your motor running for sure.
17. Heartless
“Heartless” is a big hit for the Wilson sisters that was released in 1978. It was on the Magazine album, which turned out to be the group’s most controversial release. It was released by Mushroom Records as an attempt by the record company to take a cut at the group and sabotage their musical careers. The bluesy music and vocals were a bit out of step by the group, or so the label thought, but it didn’t have the effect they wanted as fans went wild over the release. Even the critics of the group couldn’t interfere with their raging success using the late 1970s.
16. Even It Up
“Even It Up” is from the 1980 album “Bebe Le Strange.” It became an instant hit with its hard rock theme that is interspersed throughout with blues in a perfect melding of the two genres. Any woman who has been in a relationship with a selfish boyfriend can relate to the theme of the song with hard-hitting lyrics that call a cad out on his poor and unconscionable behaviors. This is a hard-hitting song in the tradition of the band that sends its message with tremendous force and a bit of validation for some listeners. It’s a menacing tune that became one of the best Heart has delivered in their long and storied career. It’s about getting a little bit of vindication if not out and out justice for the wrongs.
15. There’s the Girl
“There’s the Girl” is a 1987 release that came out on the Bad Animals album. Return of Rock ranks this song as the fifteenth best release by the group. Although the song didn’t get the same amount of playtime that some of the more prolific hits like “Straight On,” or “Barracuda,” it had its place with an adoring audience because of its dedicated rock sound that was melded with a pop sound that blended so well.
14. Mistral Wind
“Mistral Wind” was released in 1978 on the Dog & Butterfly album. It was something a little different from the group that appealed to a large segment of the population of fans. It was another song that put many fans in mind of something that would come from Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin, which seemed to have a profound influence on Ann and Nancy’s musical interpretations.
13. If Looks Could Kill
“If Looks Could Kill” was released in 1986 on the Heart album. It’s a song that highlights just how good this girl band was. They could move from one genre to another with the greatest of ease. The lyrics were one thing, but the delivery of the hard rock tune had a ballad base that was graceful, easy for them to perform, and overall, beautiful. It became a classic in the Heart collection of greatest hits. Ann and Nancy showed the world how it was done.
12. Alone
“Alone” is a hit that was released in 1987, and appeared on the Bad Animals album. This is yet another powerful ballad that the girls delivered with grace and style. It’s been referred to by both fans and critics as a “power ballad, ” meaning that it has a way of getting deep inside the listener.
11. Secret
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-JpBjLXVkI
“Secret” is a Heart song that was released in 1990 on the Brigade album. This is another ballad that goes straight to the heartstrings and pulls them firmly. Nancy shines with her acoustic guitar work and Ann’s powerful vocals reach into the souls of the listeners.
10. Dog & Butterfly
This hit was released by Heart in 1979. It appeared on their Dog & Butterfly album. My Wedding Songs curator Matthew Campbell lists this hit as the tenth most popular Heart song. The lyrics “For the life of me I don’t know the reason why, Maybe it’s livin’ making us give in, Hearts rolling in taken back on the tide, We’re balanced together ocean upon the sky,” take us to a carefree moment in time and it’s a song that makes us feel good about enjoying the simple things in life, even when there’s chaos about.
9. Dreamboat Annie
“Dreamboat Annie was one of Heart’s biggest hits. It was released on the Heart album that was released in 1976. It was an instant hit because it challenges us to dream about love. This is a theme that the world could use more of these days. It’s a hit by the group that has endured as an all-time favorite through the decades. Do you have a little ship of dreams?
8. Magic Man
Young girls who grew up listening to this heat released on the 1976 Dreamboat Annie album may have a different point of view about the song as adults. It is a song about young girls falling in with the wrong guy, believing him to be magic. As parents, we know a lot more now than we did as teenagers. This is an iconic hit from the group that delivers hard on the two different points of view between a young girl in a romance, and her mother’s more mature view of the realities of life.
7. Never
This song was released on the Heart album that was released in 1985. It’s a more mature piece that came a decade after the girls had been stars in the industry. It appealed to fans because it tells us a few simple truths. Sometimes we have to run away or we will never get to leave, but neither can we keep running away. It doesn’t do much to help you make up your mind but it’s a song that inspires honest thought.
6. What About Love?
This is the song for a jaded heart that has been jolted into complacency about love and romance. It was released on the Heart album in 1985. It asks a simple question, “Don’t you want someone to care bout you?” The hard-hitting lyrics combined with the powerful vocals and musical accompaniment made this song one that grabs your attention and makes you consider its message.
5. These Dreams
“These Dreams” is a song that came out on the Heart album as a 1986 release. It’s about the dreams that she has when she closes her eyes. The song talks about things that most of us have experienced, at least a few times in life. It makes us see that it’s possible to live another life. The song is more inspirational than it is sad, but you could take it either way.
4. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You
This song was released in 1980 on the Brigade album. It’s one of the most romantic songs performed by the group. It’s for people who are in love with someone and want to express it in physical terms. It’s also about emotional commitment and having a mutual relationship instead of one that is one-sided.
3. Nothin’ At All
“Nothin’ At All” was released on the 1985 Heart album. The song was written by Mark Mueller and produced by Ron Nevison. It was a masterpiece about walking home through the city lights and living in a world of silence and emptiness when the sun goes down. It’s a song about loneliness and the feeling that you have nothing at all. This is a theme that most of us can relate to at least sometimes in our lives. It’s Heart’s method of delivery and the lyrics that made this song so popular. It’s not a song you would want to listen to every day, but at times, it certainly did apply.
2. Crazy on You
Classic Rock History chose “Crazy on You” as the second-best Heart song of all time. It’s one of the biggest hits for the group with the perfect blend of electric and acoustic styles and powerful vocals that bring you into the emotions of the lyrics. The song has become a pop culture icon and it’s one of the most important songs that they’ve done to date.
1. Barracuda
The number one best song that Heart delivered has got to be “Barracuda.” This tune became one of the most frequently played on radio stations across the nation. It followed on the heels of “Magic Man,” which took the nation by storm. “barracuda” became the number one song on the nation’s Top 10 chart and it set the tone for everything else to follow. and couldn’t get enough of the song and it’s still used in a variety of video games today. The only time the song generated a true controversy was when it was used to represent the personality of Sarah Palin’s personality when she was running for office in the 2006 Presidential campaign. Ann Wilson didn’t approve of Palin using her song and was vocal about it.