I could not decide between Magic Man and Crazy On You when it came time to narrow down my favorite song by seventies and eighties mega-band Heart. The weird thing is, amidst their eighties reinvention, among their string of amazing hits like What About Love? and Alone, I finally discovered the literal magic in their music from the seventies. Obviously, I was aware of their existence when I was a kid, but at that time of my life I was a burgeoning disco kid, and frankly my brothers didn’t listen to Heart, so we didn’t really hear it in the house at the time of release. You might agree that Ann Wilson’s voice is, hands-down, one of the most amazing rock voices of our time. There is literally nothing she cannot sing. Heart paved the way for rock chicks like Pat Benatar and Lita Ford. I even think that Heart’s consistent radio presence into the nineties made way for the careers of Alanis Morrissette, Joan Osborne, Sheryl Crow, and so many others. Maybe that’s just my opinion, but so what? For these two songs in particular, it’s ALSO about the mystical sound of the guitars paired with Ann’s emotion-soaked pipes and Nancy’s beautiful harmonies. I could listen to Magic Man literally for days. I know the same can be said for pretty much every song in this countdown from this point on, but still. Now, shut up and listen to both these amazing songs from the early part of Ann & Nancy Wilson’s career, or I swear I will go crazy on you. And not in the good way.
From the historical writing archive. Original date: December 12, 2016. Recovered from local source material; editorial review is still in progress.