There is no denying that Heart’s 1975 hit is an absolute classic. What sometimes get overlooked is its lyrics’ socio-political commentary. The song was written partly about Ann Wilson’s relationship with guitarist Michael Fisher (brother of former guitarist and founding member Roger Fisher) a US draft dodger living in Vancouver, Canada. It was also partly about the then political climate.
“The world had gone to hell in a hand basket and the culture was just standing on its ear and everything was overwhelmingly in trouble,” lead vocalist Ann Wilson recalls. “Bombs and devils and the Vietnam War and the gas crisis. It was very frustrating. So I poured that frustration into the words of the song. I was in a very close relationship with Michael. When you’re in that situation you just climb up into your love’s lap and say: ‘Oh God, what do we do about this world?’ That’s the feeling of the song.”
Recently guitarist Nancy Wilson referred to its current relevance in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We were kind of embarrassed at that time to call ourselves American because of the dirty politics of the Vietnam War,” Wilson explained. “To be as subtle as possible, it’s more embarrassing now.”