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Huey Lewis always felt that his home town, San Francisco, had the best reputation for good old Rock & Roll...but then he played a gig in Cleveland that changed his mind, And this led to today's Great Song of 1984: "The Heart of Rock & Roll!"
The original lyric was "The Heart of Rock and Roll is in Cleveland," but then he changed his mind again...when he realized that there were several cities across the US and Canada that were known for Rock & Roll.
He changed "in Cleveland" to Still Beatin'," peppered the song with shout outs...and the song instantly became relatable to almost everyone.
In fact, after he yells "Detroit," he customized the rest of the song by naming several other US and Canadian cities. Each city was added separately to the mix, and sent to local radio stations for airplay. Everyone else played the generic version.
This all worked like a charm! The single (from the album "Sports") reached #5 on Billboard's Album Rock Chart and #6 on the Hot 100. (#8 in Canada).
Fun Facts: The song features archival footage of several classic rock & rollers...and the brass harmonies were provided by the Tower of Power horn section.
In the end, "The Heart of Rock & Roll" by Huey Lewis & the News stands as a Great Song of 1984 for Huey Lewis & The News!
Tomorrow: Whitney debuts...to surprise and controversy.
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