"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 London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The following year it was recorded by Cher as the title track of her album of the same name.

Bucks Fizz version

"Heart of Stone" was originally recorded by Bucks Fizz and released as a single in 1988. It was the group's 20th single and their last one to chart, reaching number 50 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in November 1988. The single was accompanied by a

Promotional video In video production, a promotional video is marketing or advertising: Arts, media and entertainment * Promotional recording, an audio or video recording distributed to publicize a recording * Trailer (promotion), a commercial advertisement for a ...

of the group performing the song inside and outside of a country mansion. The mansion was owned by Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees who claimed that his house was 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 may refer to: __NOTOC__ Books * ''The Story of Sar'' (book), a 2003 book by Bhawana Somaaya Films * ''The Story So Far'' (2001 film), a film about the band Sick of It All * ''The Story So Far'' (2002 film), a documentary about ...

,'' a

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

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. Member

Cheryl Baker Rita Maria Stroud (''née'' Crudgington; born 8 March 1954), known professionally as Cheryl Baker, is an English singer and television presenter. She was a member of 1980s pop group Bucks Fizz, who won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and now pe ...

later recorded a lead vocal for the track which was also included on The Lost Masters collection. Journalist

Mark Frith Mark Frith (born 22 May 1970, in Sheffield) is a British journalist and editor. He has been a writer and editor for magazines such as ''Smash Hits'', ''Time Out'' and ''Heat''. He has since branched into TV and radio presenting and is an author ...

said that the song was "a gutsy pop classic".

Track listing

* 7-inch single # "Heart of Stone" (4.22) # "Here's Looking at You" (5.49) * 12-inch single # "Heart of Stone" (4.29) # "Here's Looking at You" (5.49) # " My Camera Never Lies" (3.43)

Cher version

"Heart of Stone" served as the fourth North American and third European single release from American singer and actress Cher's 19th studio album, '' Heart of Stone'' (1989). The music video shows Cher in a dark room with old clips of herself projected onto screens in the background. It was shot in the first week of 1990. It entered the top 20 in the United States and barely missed the top 40 in the UK.

Critical reception

Bill Coleman from '' Billboard'' wrote, "Fave track from diva's current platinum opus is an acoustic-powered rocker destined to follow the top 10 success of its predecessors." The Daily Vault's Mark Millan named "Heart of Stone" one of Cher's "finest moments to date", adding, "The lyrics are a tad confusing because it's half social commentary and half autobiographical, but it's a great soulful pop song." Terry Staunton from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' said, "Cher is living proof that a dual acting/singing career can work. Miles better than the dreary "

Just Like Jesse James "Just Like Jesse James" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Cher for her nineteenth album '' Heart of Stone'' (1989). It was released as the third North American and second European single in October 1989, by Geffen Records. The so ...

Peter Asher Peter Asher, (born 22 June 1944) is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and r ...

's production bubbles and squeaks with the excitement he completely failed to achieve on the last

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs is an American alternative rock band that was founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four album ...

LP."

Live performances

Cher performed the song on the following concert tours: *

Heart of Stone Tour The Heart of Stone Tour was the second solo concert tour by American singer-actress Cher. The tour supported her nineteenth studio album, '' Heart of Stone''. A mini tour was set up in the summer 1989, and a second leg started in 1990. The tour ...

(omitted from some dates) *

Do You Believe? Tour Do You Believe?, also known as the Believe Tour, Cher Live in Concert DVD was the fourth solo concert tour by American singer-actress Cher. The tour, which took place in 1999 and 2000, promoted her album, '' Believe.'' History The tour began o ...

(dropped from the show's setlist after the first few shows) * The Farewell Tour (sung on the first leg, the second leg and the final two shows of the tour) * Dressed to Kill Tour (omitted from some dates)

Track listing

* US 7-inch single # "Heart of Stone" (Heartbeat version – faded) – 4:01 # "All Because of You" – 3:29 * US cassette single # "Heart of Stone" (CHR version) – 3:50 # "All Because of You" – 3:29 * European 7-inch and cassette single # "Heart of Stone" (remix) – 4:16 # "All Because of You" – 3:30 * European 12-inch and CD single # "Heart of Stone" (remix) – 4:16 # "All Because of You" – 3:30 # "Working Girl" – 3:57

Personnel

* Drums: Carlos Vega * Percussion: Michael Fisher * Bass: Lee Sklar * Guitars:

Waddy Wachtel Robert "Waddy" Wachtel (born May 24, 1947) is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Kim Carnes, Randy ...

, Mike Landau, Andrew Gold * Keyboards: Robbie Buchanan, Jon Gilutin

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1980s ballads 1988 singles 1990 singles Bucks Fizz songs Cher songs Music videos directed by Marty Callner Songs with lyrics by Peter Sinfield Songs written by Andy Hill (composer) Rock ballads Song recordings produced by Peter Asher 1988 songs RCA Records singles Articles containing video clips