"Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" is a 1974 R&B song written by Michael Price and Dan Walsh, and first recorded by Bobby "Blue" Bland for his Dreamer album on the ABC Dunhill label.
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Background
While it is ostensibly a love song, some critics and fans have also heard it as a lament on urban poverty and hopelessness, as well as a lament upon the struggle to achieve one's goals in life in the absence of external support. "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" remains a cult favorite, and is considered a classic.[1]
Chart performance
In the US, Bland scored a top ten hit on the Hot Soul Singles chart, where it peaked at number 9, as well as peaking at number 91 on the Hot 100.[2]
Cover versions and samples
| "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Whitesnake | ||||
| from the album Snakebite and Live...in the Heart of the City | ||||
| B-side | "Bloody Mary" "Take Me With You" (live) | |||
| Released | June 1978 November 1980 (live)[3] | |||
| Recorded | April 1978 23 November 1978 (live) | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 5:07 8:18 (live) | |||
| Label | United Artists, Geffen, EMI (studio) Liberty, Sunburst (live) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Michael Price Dan Walsh | |||
| Producer(s) | Martin Birch(both versions) | |||
| Whitesnake singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" on YouTube | ||||
It is known through several cover versions and samples:
- A well-known cover of the song is by the hard rock band Whitesnake, who included it on their 1978 debut EP, Snakebite, and again as a live recording on Live...in the Heart of the City. The cover was the new band's first hit, and it became a staple of their live set.
- For his 2001 album The Blueprint, rapper Jay-Z recorded the song "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)," a Kanye West-produced track built around a sample of Bobby Bland's chartmaking rendition.
Other notable cover versions have been recorded by:
- Bobby Bazini - on his sophomore album, Where I Belong (folk/soul, 2014)
- The cover version by reggae singer Al Brown even changes most of the lyrics to magnify the emphasis of the lyrics.[1]
- Barrett Strong (R&B, 1976)
- Café Jacques - on the album Round the Back' (rock, 1977)
- Grady Tate (jazz, 1977)
- Long John Baldry (blues, 1977)
- Kate Taylor (rock, 1979)
- Crystal Gayle (country, 1980)
- Herman Brood (rock, Bühnensucht, live recording, 1985)
- Chris Farlowe (R&B, 1985)
- Walter "Wolfman" Washington (New Orleans R&B, on 1991 album, Sada)
- The Good Earth (pop/rock, 1994)
- Mick Abrahams (rock, 1996)
- Jørn Lande (hard rock, The Snakes Live in Europe, 1998)
- Paul Weller (rock, 1998)
- Willie Clayton (R&B, 1998, as "Heart of the City")[4]
- Jay Z (on the album The Blueprint, as "Heart of City (Ain't No Love)", 2001)
- Mary Coughlan (jazz, 2002)
- Joey Tempest (rock/metal, 2003)
- Maggie Bell (rock, 2004, live recording)
- Vaya Con Dios (rock, 2004)
- YTcracker (From the STC Is the Greatest album, track number 16, "Spamcity", 2004)
- Joe Budden (Rap, 2007)
- Paul Carrack (blue-eyed soul, pop/rock, 2008)
- Allman Brothers (blues, 2009 live recording)
- Nicky Moore (blues rock, 2009)
- GRiZ (sampled on the song "Where's The Love" on the album Mad Liberation, 2012)
- Lukas Graham (blue-eyed soul, 2012 as "Daddy, Now That You're Gone (Ain't No Love)")
- Dana Fuchs (On album Broken Down, acoustic sessions 2015)
- Supersonic Blues Machine (On the album West of Flushing South of Frisco, 2016)
- Zeshan B (On album, Vetted, 2017)
- Black Pumas (On the album Black Pumas Deluxe Edition Exclusive 2LP+7", released 2020)
- DJ Khaled (Sampled on the intro track "THANKFUL", on the album Khaled Khaled, released 2021)
- Gov't Mule (on the album Heavy Load Blues, released 2021)
- Horace Andy (on album Midnight Scorchers, released 2022)
- Kanye West (Drums sampled on the song Jesus Walks, from the album The College Dropout, released 2004)
Popular culture
- Jay-Z's version of the song was used in the trailer for the 2007 film American Gangster, in a 2011 Chrysler commercial, as the theme song for the CBS series NYC 22 and a Crown Royal commercial in 2013.
- The song is featured in the 2009 video game DJ Hero, in "mashed-up" form.
- The song is played over the opening credits of the 2019 Norwegian time-travel fantasy comedy-drama television series, Beforeigners.[5]
- The song is featured on the soundtracks to the 2009 film Fighting, the 2011 crime drama The Lincoln Lawyer and is also featured in the 2017 movie The Hitman's Bodyguard.[6]
- The song is featured in episode 5 of Sex Education.
- The song is also featured in season five of the Netflix series, Last Chance U, which focuses on the lives of Laney College football players and staff within Oakland, California.
- In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Aaron Davis of Earth-42 plays a Bobby Bland LP with this song on it.
- The original version of the song is featured in the South Korean crime drama, The Frog.
Charts
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100[8] | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 109 |
References
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