Music of the Day, 29 August 2024

it's time you got the news

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a sensitive person.¹ Others’ emotions, as well as my own, could easily overwhelm me. It took me a very long time to understand that I could construct healthy boundaries that would help protect me. Today’s MotD helped with that, albeit indirectly and years after it became a big hit.

When Quarterflash struck musical gold with “Harden My Heart” in 1981, the song’s powerful lyrics touched me but didn’t seem relevant to my life. I was engaged and planning my wedding just over a year later. Even so, they and Rindy Ross’ emotive singing caught my attention. And I’m sure that years later, the song played on the radio station in my mind whenever my then-husband would hurt me with a cutting comment. It probably was my mantra when I decided to end the marriage, but if so, any associated memories haven’t surfaced, for which I’m grateful.

So I’ve learned not to ignore it when my mind pulls it from the depths. That happened last night. Listening to it today for the first time in years, I’m struck afresh by Ross’ emotional performance, and the driving guitars (songwriter Marv Ross, and Jack Charles) and shuffle rhythm (Rich Gooch on bass and Brian David Willis on percussion) that propel the song. Rindy Ross serves up some mean sax licks, and Rick DiGiallonardo rounds out the band’s sound on keyboards.

“Harden My Heart” was Quarterflash’s first hit, and the first single off their eponymous debut album. It charted worldwide and reached the third spot on Billboard’s Hot 100, and topped its Rock Top Tracks chart. It’s pretty clear that the band isn’t performing live in the video above, which bugs me a little, but that wasn’t unusual back then. Quarterflash did make a music video for the song, which begs for the “literal version” treatment. For me, its only redeeming feature is the flammenwerfer² at the end.

1. My year-end kindergarten report affirmed this in a sweet but embarrassing way

2. I know that its English name is “flamethrower,” but the German word is much more evocative to me