Heart of Stone (Bucks Fizz song)
Encyclopedia
"Heart of Stone" is a song written by Andy Hill
and Pete Sinfield for the band Bucks Fizz
in 1988, and recorded by the band at Abbey Road Studios
in London
. It was to be later recorded and popularized by Cher
in 1990.
and released as a single in 1988. It was the group's 20th and final hit single, reaching #50 on the UK Singles Chart
in November 1988. The single was accompanied by a Promotional video
of the group performing the song inside and outside of a country mansion
. The mansion was owned by Robin Gibb
of the Bee Gees
and was said to be haunted. Gibb claims that his house is haunted by the ghost of a gardener who enjoys playing pranks on the Gibb family. As a reference to this, a gardener was fleetingly seen in some shots.
Soon after this, the group released The Story so Far
, a greatest hits
album, which featured "Heart of Stone" as the only new track (at a shortened 3:58). Bucks Fizz recorded several other songs at this time, but due to the low chart position of this single, went unreleased until they were unearthed for a compilation album of unreleased Bucks Fizz songs, The Lost Masters in 2006.
12" single
n and third Europe
an single
release from American singer/actress Cher
's twentieth studio album Heart of Stone. The video featured Cher in a dark room with old clips of herself projected onto screens in the background. The video was shot in the first week of 1990. It made the Top 20 in the United States, Ireland and Poland. It narrowly missed the Top 40 in the UK.
Andy Hill (composer)
Andy Hill is a British music producer and songwriter who scored many hits during the 1980s and 90s...
and Pete Sinfield for the band Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
in 1988, and recorded by the band at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It was to be later recorded and popularized by Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
in 1990.
Bucks Fizz version (1988)
"Heart of Stone" was originally recorded by Bucks FizzBucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
and released as a single in 1988. It was the group's 20th and final hit single, reaching #50 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in November 1988. The single was accompanied by a Promotional video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
of the group performing the song inside and outside of a country mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
. The mansion was owned by Robin Gibb
Robin Gibb
Robin Hugh Gibb, CBE is a British singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice , and elder brother Barry....
of the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
and was said to be haunted. Gibb claims that his house is haunted by the ghost of a gardener who enjoys playing pranks on the Gibb family. As a reference to this, a gardener was fleetingly seen in some shots.
Soon after this, the group released The Story so Far
The Story So Far (Bucks Fizz album)
The Story So Far is a compilation album released by pop group, Bucks Fizz. It collected together 18 of the group's biggest hits spanning the years 1981 to 1988, including their three number ones.- Background :...
, a greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album, which featured "Heart of Stone" as the only new track (at a shortened 3:58). Bucks Fizz recorded several other songs at this time, but due to the low chart position of this single, went unreleased until they were unearthed for a compilation album of unreleased Bucks Fizz songs, The Lost Masters in 2006.
Track listing
7" single- "Heart of Stone" (4.22)
- "Here's Looking at You" (5.49)
12" single
- "Heart of Stone" (4.29)
- "Here's Looking at You" (5.49)
- "My Camera Never LiesMy Camera Never Lies"My Camera Never Lies" is a 1982 single by pop group, Bucks Fizz. It became a UK number-one hit single in April 1982 and was featured on their album Are You Ready.- Background :...
" (3.43)
Cher version (1990)
"Heart of Stone" is the fourth North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n and third Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
release from American singer/actress Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
's twentieth studio album Heart of Stone. The video featured Cher in a dark room with old clips of herself projected onto screens in the background. The video was shot in the first week of 1990. It made the Top 20 in the United States, Ireland and Poland. It narrowly missed the Top 40 in the UK.
Live Performances
Cher performed the song on the following concert tours:- Heart of Stone TourHeart of Stone TourThe Heart of Stone Tour is the fourth concert tour by American singer-actress Cher. The tour supported her twenty-first studio album, Heart of Stone. A mini tour was set up in the summer 1989, and a second leg started in 1990...
(omitted from some dates) - Do You Believe? TourDo You Believe? TourThe Do You Believe? Tour, sometimes also known as The Believe Tour, was Cher’s third solo concert tour. The tour which took place in 1999 and 2000, was used to promote her album Believe.-History:...
(dropped from the show's setlist after the first few shows) - The Farewell TourLiving Proof: The Farewell TourLiving Proof: The Farewell Tour is the seventh concert tour by American singer, Cher. The tour supported her twenty-fourth studio album, Living Proof and eleventh compilation album, The Very Best of Cher...
(sung on the first leg, the second leg and the final two shows of the tour)
Track listing
Heart Of Stone CD Single- "Heart of Stone" (LP version) (4:18)
- "Heart of Stone" (Remix) (4:16)
- "All Because of You"
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
20 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales Hot 100 Singles Sales The Hot Singles Sales chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures sales of commercial singles and is one of three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Airplay and the Hot Digital Songs, that determine the chart positions of singles on the... |
21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
30 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 26 |
| German Singles Chart | 23 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 14 |
| Polish Singles Chart | 18 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
43 |