SONG OF THE DAY
“Barracuda” – Heart (Little Queen, Portrait Records, 1977). Written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Michael DeRosier, Sue Ennis & Roger Fisher.
INTERESTING FACTS (from wikipedia)
–CONTROVERSY!: “Barracuda” was the result of a major controversial episode in the Wilson sisters’ careers and lives. In 1977 Heart’s record label, Mushroom Records, fueled rumors that Ann and Nancy were lesbian lovers by running a full-page ad in Rolling Stone showing the sisters bare-shouldered with the suggestive caption “It was only our first time”. The songs rage comes from Ann: after a show, a reporter came up to her asking how her “lover” was. She initially thought he was talking about her then-boyfriend, band manager Michael Fisher. After he revealed he was talking about her sister Nancy Wilson, Ann became angry and went back to her hotel room to write the original lyrics of the song.
– In 2009, it was named the 34th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
– CONTROVERSY!: “Barracuda” was played at the 2008 Republican National Convention in reference to John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, who was known as “Sarah Barracuda”. The Wilson sisters disapproved, as they disagreed with Palin’s politics, and sent a cease-and-desist letter to John McCain’s campaign, despite the fact that they had no legal standing from which to do so, due to the McCain campaign’s lawful purchase of rights to use the song. In an appearance on a Seattle talk show, song co-writer and lead guitarist Roger Fisher announced he was thrilled with the RNC’s use of the song, because it both resulted in royalties for the band and gave them an opportunity to publicly point out that he is a “staunch” supporter of Barack Obama. Noting that they paid all licensing fees, the McCain campaign continued to use the song.
– “Barracuda” is referred to in the Strong Bad Email “guitar” in the web cartoon Homestar Runner, in which Strong Bad imitates a riff from the song.
– The song has been thoroughly covered. Here’s a brief rundown of the list of artists who’ve included it in their repertoire at some point: The Accüsed, Chastain, Rasputina, Fergie, Alice in Chains (with Gretchen Wilson at the 2007 VH1 Rock Honors), The Bad Plus (a jazz trio), Doro Pesch (a German heavy metal singer), and Allison Iraheta (from the 2009 American Idol season).
– The song has been used in too many t.v. shows and movie soundtrack to name—literally dozens.
– On Ellen Degeneres’ 2008 “Summer Preview” episode, she and Josh Groban played this song in their Guitar Hero duel. Ellen won.
– “Barracuda” hit the Billboard Charts at #11 in 1977, and Ann & Nancy Wilson appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone soon after (July 1977, issue No. 244).
– The Wilson sisters have played a key role on the Seattle music scene. Among the groups who have recorded at their Bad Animals studio are R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Candlebox (all of whom have cited Heart as an influence).
– “Heart’s Heart: 20 Years of Rock & Roll” was the first CD-ROM multimedia biography/greatest hits package ever released.
– Heart was one of the first mainstream rock bands where women were in complete creative control. Their success helped influence other women in the hard rock and heavy metal genres including Lita Ford and Pat Benatar.
– Going through several lineup changes, the only constant members of this Seattle-based group are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson.
MY TAKE
Mmm I love me some Heart. Seriously. I can’t say I like “Barracuda” more than “Crazy On You” or “Magic Man,” because they are all so equally rocking. A solid three-way tie.
VIDEOS OF THE DAY
Here’s the September 2009 video playlist link on youtube.com. Look for tracks #8 and #9.