Heart – How Can I Refuse. This band, from Seattle, Washington, was a force from 1975 to 1995. They had a long string of hits over two distinct eras. They began as a hard rock-folk rock band. Mid-career they left the folk roots behind and embraced an arena rock-glamour rock sound and image. The 1983 album, Passionworks, was the beginning of the transition. The record didn’t set the world on fire, but it did spawn a Billboard Hot 100 hit, How Can I Refuse, which peaked at number 44 and was a number one hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. This song pops up on SiriusXM from time-to-time, otherwise it’s largely forgotten by anyone not a Heart fan.
There are six writers credited with the composition, which is a bit surprising considering there is nothing particularly original about the lyrics or even the song structure. How Can I Refuse is about the lust and infatuation of a new relationship with a relentless rock beat that propels the song forward. It screams 1980s.
Rhythm is the star of the song, and it sounds angry. The hybrid electronic-acoustic drums and bass provide the driving beat with the rhythm guitar riding on top. Other guitar parts come in and out. The bridge features syncopated drum fills, which make an otherwise unremarkable part of the song interesting. Meanwhile, the lead guitar is restrained until the end with the only solo coming as the song begins to fade. While the lyrics reveal a bit of vulnerability, Ann Wilson’s bellowing vocals exude confidence and a touch of fury. It’s a vintage performance. Don’t mess with her!
Heart is still active and in the mid-1990s stripped down their sound, employing more acoustic instruments and dropping the electronics — a return to their roots with a modern sensibility.
What are your thoughts? Like it? Hate it? Even remember it? Comment below. ↓
This is part of a series I’m doing on forgotten and obscure songs. Get caught up here.
Um… perhaps I should have noted that’s a jab at the ‘whatever’ out of 100 scale Dick Clark used on American Bandstand. Compatatively speaking, this recording bombed. ?
It’s certainly signature Heart work, but I would argue that it’s not a great example of what the band was capable of producing, and often did. This has the almost predicable ‘elevated treble/missing middle’ of SO many ‘tinny’ 80s songs that literally make me want to run screaming from the room. So while I love what you’re doing here and the way you point out the intriguing blend of techniques they employ, I literally despise the hollow sound of this particular recording.
I would give it about a 10, Dick…
To your point, that’s probably why the song has faded from memory for most people. I like it for the no nonsense driving beat and some of the techniques they used in the recording, but it’s not even close to their best work, which echoes your thoughts. The album wasn’t one I liked enough to add to my collection.
The chair of the music department at my alma mater used to ask students why they liked a song or what they liked in particular about it. Seems like a reasonable question, so during this series I’ll go into detail on that. There will be better songs, but it’s fun to pull some of these obscure tunes out of the pop dust bin of history and give them another spin.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!