"Heart of Stone" is a song written by Andy Hill and Pete Sinfield for the band Bucks Fizz in 1988, and recorded by the band at Abbey Road Studios in London. The following year it was recorded by Cher as the title track of her album of the same name.[1]
| "Heart of Stone" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bucks Fizz | ||||
| from the album The Story So Far | ||||
| B-side | "Here's Looking at You" | |||
| Released | 24 October 1988 | |||
| Recorded | October 1988 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 4:22 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Andy Hill | |||
| Bucks Fizz singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bucks Fizz version
edit"Heart of Stone" was originally recorded by Bucks Fizz and released as a single in 1988. It was the group's 20th single and their last one to chart, reaching number 50 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1988.[2] The single was accompanied by a Promotional video of the group performing the song inside and outside of a country mansion.[3] The mansion was owned by Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees who claimed that his house was haunted by the ghost of a gardener who enjoys playing pranks on the Gibb family. As a reference to this, a gardener was fleetingly seen in some shots.[4]
Soon after this, the group released The Story so Far, a greatest hits album, which featured "Heart of Stone" as the only new track (at a shortened 3:58). Bucks Fizz recorded several other songs at this time, but due to the low chart position of this single, went unreleased until they were unearthed for a compilation album of unreleased Bucks Fizz songs, The Lost Masters in 2006. Member Cheryl Baker later recorded a lead vocal for the track which was also included on The Lost Masters collection. Journalist Mark Frith said that the song was "a gutsy pop classic".[5]
Track listing
edit- 7-inch single
- "Heart of Stone" (4.22)
- "Here's Looking at You" (5.49)
- 12-inch single
- "Heart of Stone" (4.29)
- "Here's Looking at You" (5.49)
- "My Camera Never Lies" (3.43)
Cher version
edit| "Heart of Stone" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Cher | ||||
| from the album Heart of Stone | ||||
| B-side | "All Because of You" | |||
| Released | 23 January 1990 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Peter Asher | |||
| Cher singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Heart of Stone" on YouTube | ||||
"Heart of Stone" served as the fourth North American and third European single release from American singer and actress Cher's 19th studio album, Heart of Stone (1989). The music video shows Cher in a dark room with old clips of herself projected onto screens in the background. It was shot in the first week of 1990. It entered the top 20 in the United States and barely missed the top 40 in the UK. In reaching the top 20 in the United States, Cher was the first female artist to land a Billboard Hot 100 hit in four decades or more.
Critical reception
editBill Coleman from Billboard wrote, "Fave track from diva's current platinum opus is an acoustic-powered rocker destined to follow the top 10 success of its predecessors."[6] The Daily Vault's Mark Millan named "Heart of Stone" one of Cher's "finest moments to date", adding, "The lyrics are a tad confusing because it's half social commentary and half autobiographical, but it's a great soulful pop song."[7] Terry Staunton from NME said, "Cher is living proof that a dual acting/singing career can work. Miles better than the dreary "Just Like Jesse James". Peter Asher's production bubbles and squeaks with the excitement he completely failed to achieve on the last 10,000 Maniacs LP."[8]
Live performances
editCher performed the song on the following concert tours:
- Heart of Stone Tour (omitted from some dates)
- Do You Believe? Tour (dropped from the show's setlist after the first few shows)
- The Farewell Tour (sung on the first leg, the second leg and the final two shows of the tour)
- Dressed to Kill Tour (omitted from some dates)
Track listing
edit- US 7-inch single
- "Heart of Stone" (Heartbeat version – faded) – 4:01
- "All Because of You" – 3:29
- US cassette single
- "Heart of Stone" (CHR version) – 3:50
- "All Because of You" – 3:29
- European 7-inch and cassette single
- "Heart of Stone" (remix) – 4:16
- "All Because of You" – 3:30
- European 12-inch and CD single
- "Heart of Stone" (remix) – 4:16
- "All Because of You" – 3:30
- "Working Girl" – 3:57
Personnel
edit- Cher – vocals
- Robbie Buchanan, Jon Gilutin – keyboards
- Michael Landau, Waddy Wachtel – guitars
- Andrew Gold – acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, backing vocals
- Leland Sklar – bass
- Carlos Vega – drums
- Michael Fisher – percussion
- Peter Blakeley, Wendy Matthews – backing vocals
Charts
edit| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[9] | 70 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] | 26 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[11] | 31 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[12] | 24 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 43 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[14] | 20 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[15] | 30 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[16] | 19 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 23 January 1990 |
|
Geffen | [citation needed] |
| United Kingdom | 26 March 1990 |
|
[17] |
References
edit- ^ "Ian Bairnson Official Site Discography - Bucks Fizz - Heart of Stone". Ianbairnson.com. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "she won't talk to me | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "Bucksfizztheearlyyears.co.uk - "Heart of Stone" Video shots". Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
- ^ "GSI Archives". Brothersgibb.org. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ Mark Frith, Classic Pop Magazine, issue #5. June/July 2013. Anthem publishing
- ^ a b Coleman, Bill (3 February 1990). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 85. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ Millan, Mark (8 March 2011). "Heart Of Stone – Cher". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ Staunton, Terry (7 April 1990). "Singles". NME. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9018." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1240." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Heart of Stone". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ "Cher: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ "Cher Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ "Cher Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 12/30/89". 3 June 2015. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "New Singles". Music Week. 24 March 1990. p. 33.
