Livin' In A Heart was first entitled Angel but not the same song as on Defiance Vol. 1. It is a classic Hunter ballad, referencing Ian's marital breakup and visits a similar theme as on Waterloo, guilt and regret. This song is about lost love and maybe the guy is the reason for causing family pain and so he apologizes about his lust for success leading him to neglect his love. Probably more than one pursuer of commercial happiness can relate when they have made a choice to neglect a personal love for the height of fame. It's a gentle, reflective, and thoughtful tune about heredity and genetics. Upon reflection, Ian thinks family is more important than anything else but he has put music before them at times which causes grief. This song is an apology for making a mistake years ago and this is about atonement.
How could I turn away love, how could I turn into stone
How could I turn my back on you
I wanted to be a success but success ever leaves you alone
Maybe I tried a little too hard
Maybe I pushed you way too farIan Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me
Livin' in a heart
(Ian Hunter)
Once upon a time, somewhere in the back of my mind
I fell in love with you
But then, everything went wrong, I couldn't even write a song
There was nothing to look forward to
I don't go out very much, I'm always home on my own
Baby I was just too blind to see
I wasn't to conquer the world but the world had a mind of its own
Maybe I tried a little too hard
Maybe I pushed you away too far
Gotta room in your heart for a lonely heart
Gotta room in your heart for two
It might be nice-living in a heart with you
So sing and all the world will shine, somewhere in this nursery rhyme
A happy ending lies-for all the lovers with the lonely eyes
Easy come-easy go-this is just to let you know
Baby I apologize
How could I turn away love, how could I turn into stone
How could I turn my back on you
I wanted to be a success but success ever leaves you alone
Maybe I tried a little too hard
Maybe I pushed you way too far
Ian Hunter CD: "YUI Orta"
Sleeve and track listing
Lemon CD LEM 6.
Review
Ian teamed up with his old mate Mick Ronson once again to record this album in the middle of 1989. Ian and Mick had toured the USA and Europe in late 1988/early 1989, before the album was even recorded, and the result is a highly polished album - one of their best.
Highlights include the Stonsey Women's Intuition (if only Mick 'n' Keef were still this good!), the full-tilt rocker How Much More Can I Take, Big Time (Ian borrows his own riff from Once Bitten...), Tell It Like It Is (Mick borrowing the Get It On riff) and Mick's guitar showcase Sweet Dreamer which is breathtaking beautiful.
When the album was released, they toured the USA and Europe again to promote it. Intended in some ways as a comeback album for both men, the record company did little to promote it themselves, and it didn't sell in great numbers. They were dropped by the record company, and all plans for a follow-up were put on hold when Mick Ronson was diagnosed with liver cancer.
Unavailable for many years, this CD has finally been reissued on the Lemon label (a planned reissue on NMC having fallen through when NMC went bust). This reissue includes a couple of Ronno bonus tracks from 1971 - great for the completist but somewhat at odds with the rest of the album. The insert includes the lyrics from the original CD, but the sleeve notes are appallingly inaccurate - a shame really that Campbell Devine's notes for the aborted NMC release weren't used.
In 1995, Windsong issued an official release of their 15-Feb-89 concert, which had been recorded by the BBC for radio broadcast. This live album has since been reissued on Strange Fruit.
As is normal these days, there was material left over in the vaults, some of which is circulating amongst fans. This includes (Give Me Back My) Wings, which was demoed but never recorded, Ill Wind (now available on the Once Bitten Twice Shycompilation), More To Love Than Meets The Eye and Look Before You Leap, which IMO would have been a great single and features some beautiful guitar work from Mick Ronson
The album title is derived from "Why you... I ought to...", a phrase popularised by The Three Stooges.
Technical
The original CD
The reissued CD
Comments
Analysis of the reissued CD shows some compression being used; this has boosted overall loudness slightly (by some 2.2dB) without any noticeable affect on sound quality.
| Livin' In A Heart | 4:34 | Originally issued on YUI Orta |
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