"Straight On" is a song recorded by the rock band
Heart
The heart is a muscular organ found in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon diox ...
. It was released as the first single from the band's 1978 album ''
Dog & Butterfly''. In the U.S., "Straight On" became Heart's third single to crack the top twenty, peaking at number fifteen on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was co-written by
Ann Wilson,
Nancy Wilson, and
Sue Ennis
Sue Ennis is a songwriter from Seattle, Washington. She has co-written over 80 songs with Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of the band Heart.
Career
Ennis' songwriting with Heart includes " Straight On", " Even It Up" and " Dog & Butterfly", and she ...
.
"Straight On" was released during Heart's classic era and has been part of the group's
setlist
A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance.
A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
almost constantly since its release. It still was during their 2016 tour.
Background
The song is a mid-tempo rock number which incorporates a funky, almost dance-oriented bass line. Ann Wilson has called the song Heart's first "dance song", which is likely indicative of its recording and release happening during the disco era of the late 1970s. The lyrics use gambling metaphors to illustrate the protagonist heading straight on for her partner's love.
''
Cash Box'' said it has "high-soaring vocals," "a steady bass drum beat" and an "exchange of
riffs
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompan ...
between guitars."
''
Record World
''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...
'' called it "a bluesy rock ballad highlighted by the Wilson sisters' familiar vocals."
Chart performance
References
{{Authority control
Heart (band) songs
1978 singles
Songs written by Sue Ennis
Songs written by Nancy Wilson (rock musician)
Songs written by Ann Wilson
Portrait Records singles
1978 songs
Song recordings produced by Mike Flicker