Straight from the Heart (The Allman Brothers Band song)

Technopedia Center

Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
S1 Informatics S1 Information Systems S1 Information Technology S1 Computer Engineering S1 Electrical Engineering S1 Civil Engineering

faculty of Economics and Business
S1 Management S1 Accountancy

Faculty of Letters and Educational Sciences
S1 English literature S1 English language education S1 Mathematics education S1 Sports Education

Straight from the Heart (The Allman Brothers Band song) - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Straight from the Heart"

Single by The Allman Brothers Band

from the album Brothers of the Road

B-side

"Leavin'"

Released

July 1981

Recorded

March 1981

Studio

Young 'Un Sound, Nashville, Tennessee

Genre

Length

3:18

Label

Arista Records 0618

Songwriter(s)

Dickey Betts
Johnny Cobb

Producer(s)

John Ryan

The Allman Brothers Band singles chronology

"Mystery Woman"
(1980)

"Straight from the Heart"
(1981)

"Two Rights"
(1981)

"Straight from the Heart" is a song by American rock band the Allman Brothers Band, released in July 1981 as the lead single from the group's eighth studio album, Brothers of the Road (1981). Written by guitarist Dickey Betts and Nashville songwriter Johnny Cobb, the song was a conscious effort to produce a hit single. The Allman Brothers Band had signed to Arista Records in 1980, and founder Clive Davis 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's Rock Top Tracks chart.

Background

The Allman Brothers Band had signed to Arista Records in 1980 following the collapse of Capricorn Records the previous year.^[1] Arista founder Clive Davis pushed the band to modernize their sound, as southern rock was becoming increasingly unpopular. "He wanted us to be a Southern American version of Led Zeppelin and brought in outside producers and it just kept getting worse," said drummer Butch Trucks.^[2]

"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 and Doobie Brothers fame.^[3] "He took them even further away from their roots," said Mike Lawler, a Nashville songwriter who also worked on their Arista debut.^[3] He noted that Dickey Betts 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."^[3] 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 hit single.^[3] Both Gregg Allman and Trucks later regarded their two Arista albums as a "huge embarrassment," leading to their second breakup in 1982.^[4]

Goldflies later spoke on the song, which he deemed an "experiment":

The Allman Brothers swung, playing a lot of triplets with Butch's great shuffle feel, and suddenly we were playing straight eights and everyone felt weird. Their rhythmic feel had swing and polyrhythms—rock with jazz and cool country overtones—and when we played the straight beats on a song like "Straight from the Heart," it felt lifeless. We all tried to make it come alive, but it was an experiment that failed.^[3]

Reception

Scott Freeman, author of Midnight Riders: The Story of the Allman Brothers Band (1996), derided the song as a "great Doobie Brothers imitation."^[5]

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Chart (1981)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100^[6]	39
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)^[7]	11

Notes

References

^ Paul 2014, p. 249.
^ Paul 2014, p. 254.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Paul 2014, p. 260.
^ Paul 2014, p. 261.
^ Freeman 1996, p. 271.
^ "The Allman Brothers Band Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
^ "The Allman Brothers Band Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2014.

Sources

Paul, Alan (2014). One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1250040497.
Freeman, Scott (1996). Midnight Riders: The Story of the Allman Brothers Band. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0316294522.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Straight from the Heart (The Allman Brothers Band song).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Straight from the Heart (The Allman Brothers Band song).

Official website

v t e The Allman Brothers Band
Duane Allman Gregg Allman Dickey Betts Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson Berry Oakley Butch Trucks Chuck Leavell Lamar Williams Dan Toler Warren Haynes Johnny Neel Allen Woody Marc Quiñones Oteil Burbridge Derek Trucks Jimmy Herring
Studio and contemporary live albums	The Allman Brothers Band Idlewild South At Fillmore East Eat a Peach Brothers and Sisters Win, Lose or Draw Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas Enlightened Rogues Reach for the Sky Brothers of the Road Seven Turns Shades of Two Worlds An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set Where It All Begins An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set Peakin' at the Beacon Hittin' the Note One Way Out
Retrospective live albums	Live at Ludlow Garage: 1970 Fillmore East, February 1970 American University 12/13/70 Live at the Atlanta International Pop Festival: July 3 & 5, 1970 S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook: Stonybrook, NY 9/19/71 Macon City Auditorium: 2/11/72 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY: 5/1/73 Boston Common, 8/17/71 Play All Night: Live at the Beacon Theatre 1992 Live from A&R Studios The Fox Box Cream of the Crop 2003 Fillmore West '71 The Final Note Warner Theatre, Erie, PA 7-19-05 Down in Texas '71 Syria Mosque Manley Field House, Syracuse University, April 7, 1972 Final Concert 10-28-14
Compilations and box sets	Beginnings The Road Goes on Forever Dreams A Decade of Hits 1969–1979 Mycology: An Anthology 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Allman Brothers Band Stand Back: The Anthology The Essential Allman Brothers Band: The Epic Years Gold Trouble No More: 50th Anniversary Collection
Video albums	Brothers of the Road Live at Great Woods Live at the Beacon Theatre 40
Original songs	"Ain't Wastin' Time No More" "Blue Sky" "Crazy Love" "Good Clean Fun" "Hot 'Lanta" "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" "Its Not My Cross to Bear" "Jessica" "Little Martha" "Melissa" "Midnight Rider" "No One to Run With" "Pegasus" "Ramblin' Man" "Revival (Love Is Everywhere)" "Seven Turns" "Soulshine" "Straight from the Heart" "Whipping Post"
Cover songs	"Done Somebody Wrong" "Heart of Stone" "Hoochie Coochie Man" "Mountain Jam" "One Way Out" "Statesboro Blues" "Stormy Monday" "Trouble No More" "You Don't Love Me"
Associated bands and artists	The 31st of February The Allman Joys Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit Derek and the Dominos The Derek Trucks Band Gov't Mule Gregg Allman Band Hour Glass Les Brers Sea Level Tedeschi Trucks Band The Allman Betts Band Thom Doucette
Related articles	Discography Members Museum Joseph L. Campbell Summer Jam at Watkins Glen
Category

Categories:

Hidden categories: