"Harden My Heart" is a song by

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group

Quarterflash Quarterflash (previously stylized as QuarterFlash) was an American rock group formed in 1980 in Portland, Oregon. The band was originally made up of the two current members, Orinda Sue "Rindy" Ross (lead vocals and saxophone) and her husband Mar ...

, written by their guitarist Marv Ross. It is a million-selling Gold-certified single and was featured on the band's Platinum-selling ''

'' album, released in 1981. The song was originally released as a single in early 1980 by Seafood Mama, Quarterflash's predecessor band. It featured more sparse instrumentation but a more dramatic vocal arrangement than the hit version and was a regional success on radio stations in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. The record's video features theatrics in and around an office trailer with dark corridors and swinging Metal Halide light bulbs from the ceiling before it was bulldozed and torched. After changing their name, Quarterflash released their self-titled debut album in 1981 which contained the new version of "Harden My Heart". This

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romance (love), romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn m ...

version was released as the album's first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

. In early 1982, it reached #3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and also hit #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song also charted in Germany, New Zealand, Australia and the UK. It was the group's only top-ten pop single in the United States, although the follow-up single from the album, " Find Another Fool", and the 1983 hit " Take Me to Heart" both entered the top 20. It reached No. 41 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart. This song is included in the video game '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories'', on radio station ''Emotion 98.3'' and was played twice in the pilot episode of ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

''. The song is used in the 2001 film ''

Wet Hot American Summer ''Wet Hot American Summer'' is a 2001 American teen comedy film directed by David Wain from a screenplay written by Wain and Michael Showalter. The film features an ensemble cast, including Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, ...

'', which is set in 1981.

Julianne Hough Julianne Alexandra Hough (; born July 20, 1988) is an American dancer, actress, and singer. In 2007, she joined the cast of ABC's ''Dancing with the Stars'' as a professional dancer, winning two seasons with her celebrity partners. After leavin ...

and

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

sing this song in the film ''

Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to: Films * ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below) Music * ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...

''. An excerpt of this song is also heard in the opening scene of the pilot episode of ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also serve as showrunners a ...

,'' a 2013 television series aired on the FX cable channel. The series is set in United States in 1981.

Background

Guitarist and songwriter Marv Ross said, The first version was recorded by Seafood Mama in the band members' basement in Portland in 1980. After changing their name to Quarterflash and getting signed to Geffen, they re-recorded the song at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. Ross said the re-recording had a better guitar solo, as well as better sound quality in general.

Personnel

*Rindy Ross: Vocals, Saxophone *Marv Ross: Guitars *Jack Charles: Guitars, vocals *Rick DiGiallonardo: Keyboards *Rich Gooch: Bass *Brian David Willis: Drums, percussion

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

References

{{authority control 1981 songs 1981 debut singles Quarterflash songs 1980s ballads Rock ballads Geffen Records singles