What About Love

"What About Love" is a song originally recorded by Canadian rock group Toronto but is best known for the 1985 release by the American rock group Heart. The song was Heart's "comeback" single. It was the first Heart track to reach the top 40 in three years, and their first top 10 hit in five. It was released as the first single from the band's self-titled 1985 album, Heart, as well as their first hit single on their new record label, Capitol Records. Grace Slick and Mickey Thomas, co-lead vocalists of Starship at the time, provide additional background vocals on the song.

For other uses, see What About Love (disambiguation).

"What About Love"
Single by Heart
from the album Heart
B-side"Heart of Darkness"
ReleasedJune 1, 1985[1]
GenreHard rock
Length3:41
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ron Nevison
Heart singles chronology
"Allies"
(1983)		 "What About Love"
(1985)		 "Never"
(1985)
Music video
"What About Love" on YouTube

Background

The song was originally recorded in 1983 by Canadian rock group Toronto, of which songwriters Sheron Alton and Brian Allen were members. (The other songwriter, Jim Vallance, was not a member of Toronto, though he played drums on Toronto's recording of the song.) However, the rest of the band elected not to release the song, and the frustration Allen and Alton faced in being unable to convince their bandmates to feature this and other material on Toronto's albums led to their departure from the group.

Later, Michael McCarty at ATV Music Publishing was reviewing his song catalogue when he came across "What About Love". He offered the song to Heart, who turned it into a worldwide hit. Toronto's original version remained commercially unreleased until 2002, when it appeared as a bonus cut on the CDs Get It On Credit and Toronto: The Greatest Hits.

Reception

The song's sound marked a considerable change in the musical direction for Heart, moving from the hard rock and folk rock of their earlier work to a more polished, power ballad sound. "What About Love" received extensive airplay on MTV and returned Heart to the Top-10 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in five years, peaking at No. 10.

The song peaked at No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart upon its re-release in 1988. Exclusively in its UK release, "What About Love" was also featured in an extended version on 12" and CD single versions.

The song's chorus was featured in a series of Swiffer WetJet TV commercials from late 2010 into the following year. The campaign followed a series of previous Swiffer commercials using popular songs of the '70s and '80s.

Charts

Cover versions and samples

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 136. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  3. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0568." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  4. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7820." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  5. "Heart Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  6. "Heart Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  7. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending August 31, 1985". Cash Box. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  8. "Offiziellecharts.de – Heart – What About Love". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5 no. 23. June 4, 1988. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved October 2, 2019 – via American Radio History.
  10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – What About Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  11. "Heart: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  12. "Heart Chart History (Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  13. "RPM's Top 100 Singles of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43 no. 16. December 28, 1985. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved October 2, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  14. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  15. "Mainstream Rock Songs – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  16. "American Idol Season 5: Encores – American Idol Finalists – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
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