From a first single in 1979, the group successfully combined a pop rock and power pop (and sometimes, a blues rock) influenced backing with harmony side-vocals and Lewis' strident voice, and the band had numerous hit songs during the 1980s and early 1990s. These include "The Power of Love" and "Back in Time" (both of which were featured in the film "Back to the Future"), "I Want a New Drug", "Doin' It All (For My Baby)", "Do You Believe in Love?" "Hip to Be Square", "Stuck With You", and "Jacob's Ladder". Huey Lewis shared three Grammy awards, an American Music Award, and a People's Choice Award along with several artists for his role singing the 1985 charity song "We Are the World" as well.
=Albums=
Huey Lewis & the News (1980)
Picture This (1982) [#13 U.S. Gold]
Sports (1983) [#1 U.S. 7x Platinum]
Back to the Future Soundtrack (1985) [Gold]
Fore! (1986) [#1 U.S. 3x Platinum]
Small World (1988) [#11 U.S. Platinum]
Hard at Play (1991) [#27 U.S. Gold]
The Heart of Rock & Roll - The Best of Huey Lewis and The News (1992)
Four Chords & Several Years Ago (1994) [#55 U.S.]
Time Flies: The Best of Huey Lewis and the News (1996) [#185 U.S.]
Plan B (2001) [#165 U.S.]
Live at 25 (2005)
Greatest Hits & Videos (2006) [#70 U.S.]
www.hueylewisandthenews.com
The Heart Of Rock & Roll
Huey Lewis & The News Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And no place that I'd rather be
Where else can you do a half a million things
All at a quarter to three
When they play their music, ooh that modern music
They like it with a lot of style
But it's still that same old back beat rhythm
They say the heart of rock and roll is still beating
And from what I've seen I believe 'em
Now the old boy may be barely breathing
But the heart of rock and roll, heart of rock and roll is still beating
LA, Hollywood, and the Sunset Strip
Is something everyone should see
Neon lights and the pretty, pretty girls
All dressed so scantily
When they play their music
That hard rock music
They like it with a lot of flash
But it's still that same old back beat rhythm
That really, really kicks 'em in the
They say the heart of rock and roll is still beating
And from what I've seen I believe 'em
Now the old boy may be barely breathing
But the heart of rock and roll, heart of rock and roll is still beating
Johnny, ow
DC, San Antone and the Liberty Town, Boston and Baton Rouge
Tulsa, Austin, Oklahoma City, Seattle, San Francisco, too
Everywhere there's music, real live music, bands with a million styles
But it's still that some old rock and roll music
That really, really drives 'em wild
They say the heart of rock and roll is still beating
And from what I've seen I believe 'em
Now the old boy may be barely breathing
But the heart of rock and roll, heart of rock and roll is still beating, yeah
In Cleveland
Detroit
Uh, heart of rock and roll
The opening lines of "The Heart of Rock & Roll" by Huey Lewis & The News describe New York City as everything that people say it is, explaining that despite its intense pace, there is nowhere else the artist would rather be. He notes that, despite the many things to do in the city, the most important thing to people is modern music, which is driven by a back beat rhythm. The line "the heart of rock and roll is still beating" repeats throughout the song, giving rise to the idea that the spirit of rock and roll is alive and well.
In the second verse, Lewis turns his focus to Los Angeles, Hollywood, and the Sunset Strip. He describes the area's neon lights and beautiful women, saying that when the music starts, everyone begins to dance. He relates that the music is hard rock, with an emphasis on showy style, but it remains driven by that same back beat rhythm.
The chorus repeats through each city mentioned in the song, indicating that no matter where one goes, live music remains the same. The heart of rock and roll is still beating, and the proof is in the million styles of music and live bands. Although the old boy may be barely breathing, Lewis affirms that the heart of rock and roll is still beating.
Line by Line Meaning
New York, New York, is everything they say
New York is as great as everyone says it is
And no place that I'd rather be
There's nowhere else I'd rather be than New York
Where else can you do a half a million things
There are countless things to do in New York
All at a quarter to three
You can do these things until the wee hours of the morning
When they play their music, ooh that modern music
When they play modern music
They like it with a lot of style
They enjoy modern music with a lot of pizazz
But it's still that same old back beat rhythm
Despite the added flair, it's still the same basic rhythm
That really, really drives 'em wild
This basic rhythm is what really gets people excited
They say the heart of rock and roll is still beating
People claim that rock and roll is still alive and well
And from what I've seen I believe 'em
Based on what I've witnessed, I think they're right
Now the old boy may be barely breathing
Rock and roll may not be as popular as it once was
But the heart of rock and roll, heart of rock and roll is still beating
However, the spirit of rock and roll is still alive
LA, Hollywood, and the Sunset Strip
Los Angeles and its famous landmarks
Is something everyone should see
A place that everyone should visit
Neon lights and the pretty, pretty girls
Glitzy lights and attractive women
All dressed so scantily
Dressed in revealing clothing
That hard rock music
Heavy, intense music
They like it with a lot of flash
They prefer hard rock music with a lot of spectacle
But it's still that same old back beat rhythm
Despite the added spectacle, it's still the same basic rhythm
That really, really kicks 'em in the
This basic rhythm really gets the crowd going
Johnny, ow
Outburst of enthusiasm
DC, San Antone and the Liberty Town, Boston and Baton Rouge
Different cities with their own music scenes
Tulsa, Austin, Oklahoma City, Seattle, San Francisco, too
More cities with unique musical identities
Everywhere there's music, real live music, bands with a million styles
There's an abundance of live music, with bands of all kinds
But it's still that some old rock and roll music
Despite the variety, classic rock and roll still holds a special place
That really, really drives 'em wild
This classic rock and roll music still gets people excited
In Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Uh, heart of rock and roll
An exclamation about the power of rock and roll
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Huey Lewis, John Victor Colla
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marcgambone4240
At 44 years old I'm just realizing that Huey Lewis has been in the background of my entire life and I didn't know how much I love their music until now
@truthcantbesilenced4533
LOL
@florianhenry6698
That's the power of love bro
@williamwood5502
Same here at 47
@AldenRDavis
Power of 80s music shall never fade away.
@smog-097
It's always that sax solo ... :)
@truthcantbesilenced4533
America did make some things before it went to shit lol
@shanecook7280
Puts me is such a great mood . We had some good music .
@zaheerahshareef8131
Facts
@carlosalbertoteschguimarae9263
Nunca, never!