Did Heart ever have a number one single?
Heart were a band who had their fair share of ups and downs, but throughout all the tribulations that came with being rock stars, they continued to make pretty great music.
They were always destined to have a somewhat haphazard approach to music, as they grew up in a city that didn’t have a scene. Sure, Seattle might have famously become the building ground where a statue of grunge was erected, but when Ann and Nancy Wilson first started making music, it was an area full of outcasts.
Some people would have hated that, but for the two budding musical minds, it allowed them to explore a range of different styles and not feel out of place. Given they were coming up in a time where sound was a lot less restrictive in terms of genres needing to stay in their lanes, this was the perfect place to be brought up.
“I think that Seattle is full of outliers and misfits, especially in those days,” said Ann Wilson when talking about the city she originally called home. “It’s a seaport, it’s a place that rains maybe nine or ten months out of the year. It’s grey and dreary. That does have an effect, especially on sensitive people. So, I think if you’re an outlier and you’re a singer…you’re from Seattle!”
While this freedom was handy, having no restrictions when making music can also be a hindrance. In the early ‘80s, when rock music was going through a bit of a transitional period, the band exercised their freedom in a bid to try and keep up. This eventually worked out, but before that, it led to what the two sisters called one of their worst albums ever, Private Audition.
“That was just a period of transition, and that was reflected on the record. It wasn’t a bad record. It just wasn’t a commercial record,” said Ann when discussing the album. Meanwhile, Nancy was a bit harsher, as she said they “Probably weren’t in our right minds very well […] I know I was doing a lot of partying in those days.”
After this transitional album, the band put out some of their most commercially successful music. The freedom they experienced when harnessing their sound meant that they had room to experiment with music, and that also meant they were in a position to eventually produce hit after hit.
So, did Heart ever have a number one single?
In the mid-80s, Heart celebrated two number one singles, both of which came as a result of their transitional period. The first of these tracks was ‘These Dreams’, which climbed to the top of the charts when it was released. The song was written by Bernie Taupin and originally meant for Stevie Nicks, but after she turned it down, Heart snatched it up, and it became a hit.
Their next number one came in 1987 with the track ‘Alone’. The song revolves around the desire to tell someone you have feelings for them, as Ann Wilson sings about trying to get someone alone so you can spill your feelings. Her vocals are great on the record, and it meant people loved listening to it. As a result, the track skyrocketed to number one when it was released, giving Heart another commercial hit.
