Song of the Day Mar 21

March 21, 2024

This month I’m focusing on One Hit Wonders of the 80s.

Today our song is:  Harden My Heart

Wikipedia tells us this about the song:

"Harden My Heart" is a song by American rock group Quarterflash, written by guitarist Marv Ross and included on the band's debut album, Quarterflash (1981). The song was originally released as a single in early 1980 by Seafood Mama, Quarterflash's predecessor band. Quarterflash's version became a top-10 hit in the United States, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1982. The song'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. 

Guitarist and songwriter Marv Ross said,

A friend of mine gave me the title. I came up with the lyrics very quickly. The title came first and I don’t really remember how the rest came about. I usually write the music and words simultaneously. It wasn’t a personal story – just made it up. The chords are simple but voiced so as to make it sound more complex than it is. The whole song is really the groove which we called a shuffle in those days. Rindy came up with the sax line. The whole thing was written in less than a week and recorded in our basement for the Seafood Mama version. It sold 10,000 copies in Portland and Seattle and was the key to us getting signed to Geffen records.

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.

After changing their name, Quarterflash released their self-titled debut album in 1981 that contains the new version of "Harden My Heart". This power ballad version was released as the album's first single. In February 1982, it reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the Billboard Rock Top Tracks chart, and No. 41 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Worldwide, the song charted in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and German-speaking Europe.

Enjoy!