Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City
"Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" is a 1974 R&B song written by Michael Price and Dan Walsh, and first recorded by Bobby "Blue" Bland for his Dreamer album on the ABC Dunhill label.
Background
While it is ostensibly a love song, some critics and fans have also heard it as a lament on urban poverty and hopelessness, as well as a lament upon the struggle to achieve one's goals in life in the absence of external support. "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" remains a cult favorite, and is considered a classic.Chart performance
In the US, Bland scored a top ten hit on the Hot Soul Singles chart, where it peaked at number 9, as well as peaking at number 91 on the Hot 100.Cover versions and samples
It is known through several cover versions and samples:- A well-known cover of the song is by the hard rock band Whitesnake, who included it on their 1978 debut EP, Snakebite, and again as a live recording on Live...in the Heart of the City. The cover was the band's first single, and it became a staple of their live set.
- For his 2001 album The Blueprint, rapper Jay-Z recorded the song "Heart of the City ", a Kanye West-produced track built around a sample of Bobby Bland's chartmaking rendition.
- Bobby Bazini - on his sophomore album, Where I Belong
- The cover version by reggae singer Al Brown even changes most of the lyrics to magnify the emphasis of the lyrics.
- Barrett Strong
- Café Jacques - on the album Round the Back'
- Grady Tate
- Long John Baldry
- Kate Taylor
- Crystal Gayle
- Herman Brood
- Chris Farlowe
- Walter "Wolfman" Washington
- The Good Earth
- Mick Abrahams
- Jørn Lande
- Paul Weller
- Willie Clayton
- Jay Z
- Mary Coughlan
- Joey Tempest
- Maggie Bell
- Vaya Con Dios
- YTcracker
- Joe Budden
- Paul Carrack
- Allman Brothers
- Nicky Moore
- GRiZ
- Lukas Graham
- Dana Fuchs
- Supersonic Blues Machine
- Zeshan B
- Black Pumas
- DJ Khaled
- Gov't Mule
- Horace Andy
- Kanye West
Popular culture
- Jay-Z's version of the song was used in the trailer for the 2007 film American Gangster, in a 2011 Chrysler commercial, as the theme song for the CBS series NYC 22 and a Crown Royal commercial in 2013.
- The song is featured in the 2009 video game DJ Hero, in "mashed-up" form.
- The song is played over the opening credits of the 2019 Norwegian time-travel fantasy comedy-drama television series, Beforeigners.
- The song is featured on the soundtracks to the 2009 film Fighting, the 2011 crime drama The Lincoln Lawyer and is also featured in the 2017 movie The Hitman's Bodyguard.
- The song is featured in episode 5 of Sex Education.
- The song is also featured in season five of the Netflix series, Last Chance U, which focuses on the lives of Laney College football players and staff within Oakland, California.
- In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Aaron Davis of Earth-42 plays a Bobby Bland LP with this song on it.
- The original version of the song is featured in the South Korean crime drama, The Frog.
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
| US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 109 |