Ten Great Heartland Rock Songs

I decided to write an article compiling a collection of songs in heartland rock, a type of rock music that originated in America. I am familiar with heartland rock as Bob Seger, who I’m a fan of works in that genre. Most of the artists in this list are American, but I do also include three British artists. I featured some heartland rock songs in my previous article “Ten Great Rock Songs Opening Albums”. We’re going to go to the mid 70s.

The Fuse - Jackson Browne (1976)

This song opens with Craig Doerge’s piano which has a uniquely heartland rock sound. David Lindley’s guitar plays a good supporting role. David’s playing has a slight country influence, while maintaining a clear rock feel. Country is in fact an influence of heartland rock. Craig does powerful heartland piano rocking including during instrumental passages. I like how Jackson sings aggressively in this track. This song rocks in a dark way.

Talk to Me - Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (1978)

This song was written by Bruce Springsteen. There are nice horns throughout. A soul influence is present including in Southside Johnny’s singing. The piano has a jolly feel in contrast to the previous song, yet it maintains its heartland rock style. There is a nice saxophone solo.

Lover - Michael Stanley Band (1980)

This song by the Michael Stanley Band is sung & written by Michael. Michael mentions the “cold Ohio night” (his state) which is apt for this genre. Lover is one of the songs I’ve been listening to the most this year. There is a great saxophone presence in this song by Bruce Springsteen’s saxophonist Clarence Clemons. I love how Michael sings “Oooh Lover” in the chorus. This is contrasted well with Clarence’s saxophone notes. The bridge is great as it takes the melody in a different direction.

Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen (1980)

This is the first hit song featured on this list. Pianist Roy Bittan of Bruce’s E Street Band is also on the next three songs. This song is very melodic and led wonderfully by Roy’s piano. There is a nice organ solo by Danny Federici where Bruce lightly sings along with it. Bruce's vocals are unique as he’s singing neither softly nor aggressively. He sings the same sounds that he sang during the organ solo plus others at the end of the song.

Skateaway - Dire Straits (1980)

Dire Straits are English and aren’t a heartland rock band, but producer Jimmy Iovine and keyboardist Roy Bittan bring a heartland rock sound to the proceedings. They fuse American styles into an English sounding song. This song is written and sung by Mark Knopfler who’s Dire Straits’ lead singer & guitarist. Roy’s piano works wonderfully. He also plays organ. Mark speaks in parts of the song. He alternates between speaking and singing. Roy’s piano is a good match to Mark’s guitar which does nice playing in the end section.

Roll Me Away - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1982)

Jimmy Iovine also produced this song. Roy’s piano drives the song and he has two powerful solos. Drummer Russ Kunkel provides a great beat. Waddy Wachtel’s guitar supports the song well. Craig Frost of The Silver Bullet Band adds colour to this tune with his organ. Bob is singing about a motorcycle trip in his state of Michigan. He sings powerfully as a rock singer.

Have You Ever Seen the Rain? - Bonnie Tyler (1983)

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler covers a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival. The original only has a few piano notes in parts of the song. Bonnie’s version wonderfully changes the lead instrument from acoustic guitar to piano. Roy plays his signature heartland rock piano sound. Bonnie sings so intensely. She reinterprets a light country rock song into a heartland rocker that rocks way more than the original including its awesome electric guitar parts. There is an aggressive guitar solo.

The Valley Road - Bruce Hornsby & The Range (1988)

Bruce plays powerful improvisational piano playing. He brings a possible jazz influence into heartland rock. It’s creative how he brings his brand of piano playing into a mainstream rock hit. There is a guitar solo and two piano solos. Bruce sings soulfully. I like how he sings “walk on” expressively. This song has a fun feel of the late 80s time period.

England and America - Elton John (2016)

This song written by Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin is paying tribute to England and America. England is Elton’s primary residence where he’s from and America is his second home where he lives part of the time. This song sounds different to the usual Elton John style. Elton displays his creativity in writing a heartland rock melody. He nails that genre’s piano sound. It’s rare to hear Elton rock out like this now. I love the 80s rock sound this song has. Elton’s band backs him well. I’d like to see Elton make a whole album in the heartland rock style.

More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows - Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers (2018)

The song opens with a piano riff which is repeated throughout the song. It soon becomes a powerful rocker driven by guitar and organ. During the guitar solo, the piano riff supports the solo well. There is a brief moment where most of the instruments stop and it’s led by the organ, similar to a section in the previous song with the piano. Joe sounds similar to Southside Johnny who I featured earlier. Joe’s singing about the importance of connecting with people.

This was my selection of ten heartland rock songs. I like the fact that heartland rock has a strong keyboard presence. These songs all feature piano and I can hear organ on six of them. It seems that one component of heartland rock is a mix of piano, organ and guitar. I love the melodies of all these tracks.

Six Same-name Songs

I decided to write an article about songs which have the same name as each other where I describe and compare them. I selected six song groupings which have the same title. I embed the official YouTube audio for one of the songs for each grouping.

Satisfied

In 1989, singer Richard Marx released an energetic pop rock song “Satisfied”. This is a guitar driven song featuring synth and organ. Fourteen years later, his Capitol Records labelmate Bob Seger released his “Satisfied” song. Bob’s song has a similar energy, but it is totally different. It’s an upbeat piano driven blues track. Five years later, soft rock singer Robbie Dupree known for “Steal Away” released a song with that name. Robbie’s “Satisfied” is similar to Bob’s song with its blues feel and piano. It has a relaxing vibe. This song is a fusion of Bob and Richard’s songs as it brings back rock being a blues rock song. One thing all three songs have in common is they all feature organ.

Satisfied - Robbie Dupree (2008)

Is This Love

We’re going to a similar type of 80s rock to Richard Marx’s “Satisfied”. In 1986, Survivor released the rock song “Is This Love”. It has a catchy melody driven by guitar and synths. Jimi Jamison sings powerfully. The following year Whitesnake released their power ballad “Is This Love”. This song also uses a mix of guitar and synths. David Coverdale sings passionately. These two songs are similar, both having an arena rock sound of its time and featuring guitar solos.

Is This Love - Survivor (1986)

Georgia

This is a change of pace to something soft. In 1976, Boz Scaggs released a song called “Georgia”. This is an optimistic soul song about a person. I like how it includes horns which are utilised well. A few years later Elton John would release a song “Georgia” about the US state. This is a gospel song where Elton plays organ and harmonium in addition to piano. There is a quiet and effective guitar solo which is totally different to a rock guitar solo. Both songs are led by the piano. They are melodic songs which feel alike as they have common genres.

Georgia - Boz Scaggs (1976)

Isn’t It Time

In 1977, The Babys released the wonderful soft rock song “Isn’t It Time”. John Waite sings so passionately. It’s a melodic piano driven song. It has so many different instruments including horns, orchestra, organ, guitars and prominent female backing vocals. All the elements are mixed in right with the guitars rocking well in a supporting role. Boz Scaggs released his own song “Isn’t It Time” three years later. This song feels like both soft rock and soul. It’s keyboard driven featuring a mixture of electric & acoustic pianos and synths. It has a rocking guitar solo at the halfway mark. These songs have a similar vibe with both having female backing vocals. Boz’s song is good, but it can’t compare to the majesty of The Babys’ song.

Isn’t It Time - The Babys (1977)

Take Me Back

We’re going to an Elton John country song released in 1980. On “Take Me Back”, Elton plays a Wurlitzer electric piano and sings in a southern accent. This is a relaxing song featuring a fiddle solo. Bonnie Tyler released her “Take Me Back” in 1983. Bonnie’s song opens with guitars and soon an acoustic piano appears that has a prominent place. This song really rocks with its heartland rock vibe. These two songs are very different genres, probably being the most different songs with the same name seen so far.

Take Me Back - Elton John (1980)

I Go Crazy

Soft rock singer Paul Davis released the warm song “I Go Crazy” in 1977. It’s a piano driven song featuring synth and understated guitar. Paul sings gently and melodically. Blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy released his own “I Go Crazy” in 1993. His song opens with guitar which is soon joined by all instruments including piano. This is an intense blues song which features horns. The two songs are so different, though some lyrical similarities exist. I like Buddy’s song, but Paul’s song is the best, being something special.

I Go Crazy - Paul Davis (1977)

So you just read a discussion of different songs with the same name. Some of the songs featured are singles while others are album tracks. Rock is the primary genre with the other genres blues, soul, gospel, country and pop also featured. If you enjoyed this article, you may be interested in my similar article “Rock Songs Referencing Each Other”.