"Straight from the Heart" is a song by American

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 ...

band

the Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guita ...

, released in July 1981 as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from the group's eighth studio album, '' Brothers of the Road'' (1981). Written by guitarist

Dickey Betts Forrest Richard Betts (born December 12, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. Early in his career, he collaborated with Duane Allman, introducing melodic tw ...

and Nashville songwriter Johnny Cobb, the song was a conscious effort to produce a

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

. The Allman Brothers Band had signed to

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

in 1980, and founder

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

pushed them to modernize their sound. "Straight from the Heart" was later regarded as an "embarrassing" experiment by members of the band. Nevertheless, the song became the group's first top 40 hit since their heyday, and subsequently their last: it peaked at number 39 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also hit number 11 on ''Billboard'' Rock Top Tracks chart.

Background

The Allman Brothers Band had signed to

in 1980 following the collapse of

Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...

the previous year. Arista founder

pushed the band to modernize their sound, as

southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. Author Scott B. Bomar speculat ...

was becoming increasingly unpopular. "He wanted us to be a Southern American version of

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

and brought in outside producers and it just kept getting worse," said drummer

Butch Trucks Claude Hudson "Butch" Trucks (May 11, 1947 – January 24, 2017) was an American drummer. He was best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Trucks was born ...

. "Straight from the Heart" epitomized the single-oriented sound the band strived for while on Arista. For their second effort on Arista, '' Brothers of the Road'' (1981), the group collaborated with "name producer" John Ryan, of

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...

and

Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...

fame. "He took them even further away from their roots," said Mike Lawler, a Nashville songwriter who also worked on their Arista debut. He noted that

co-wrote "Straight from the Heart" with fellow songwriter Johnny Cobb, and that "He allowed it to happen; it's not like the two of us came in and dictated to the Allman Brothers Band what they should do and how they should sound." David Goldflies, bassist of the band in this incarnation, attributed the change in direction to the label, management, and the band's own desire to have another

. Both

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Br ...

and Trucks later regarded their two Arista albums as a "huge embarrassment," leading to their second breakup in 1982. Goldflies later spoke on the song, which he deemed an "experiment":

Reception

Scott Freeman, author of ''Midnight Riders: The Story of the Allman Brothers Band'' (1996), derided the song as a "great Doobie Brothers imitation."

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Notes

References

Sources

* *

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Straight from the Heart (The Allman Brothers Band song) 1981 singles Songs written by Dickey Betts The Allman Brothers Band songs Arista Records singles Country rock songs 1981 songs