Album: Heartbeat
Video: From YouTube.
Billboard Hot 100 Peak: 5
MTV Top 20 Peak: 11
MTV Top 20 Weeks: 4
In the '80s, it was common for the hottest TV star in Hollywood to unleash his musical talents onto the public. For a while it happened every year as a matter of course - Eddie Murphy (1985), Don Johnson (1986), and Bruce Willis (1987). All three had a debut single reach the top five on the Billboard charts, but surprisingly this did not translate into long fruitful recording careers.
Of course, Don Johnson was on top of the world in 1986 as Sonny Crockett on Miami Vice. I never watched the show myself. But to my 15-year-old brain, "Heartbeat" was an awesome song. I even purchased the album (actually, it was a cassette tape) and enjoyed several of the tracks. I also drew a picture of the cover artwork in my tenth grade art class. All the while, never realizing what a terrible song it actually was.
"Hearrrrrttttttbeat! I'm looking for a hearrrrrttttttbeat!" Who could resist? This is truly one of the greatest horrible songs of all time. The lyrics are absolute nonsense. It's a blatant attempt to cash in on Johnson's popularity. And yet, it is infectious from the opening notes. A real guilty pleasure.
Give the man credit though, he put together a ton of talent for his debut album. Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, Ron Wood, Willie Nelson. A Who's Who of rock 'n' roll. There's even second-generation rock royalty, future MTV VJ Dweezil Zappa playing guitar on this track.
The ridiculous video is deserving of its own article. Fortunately, that has been written by Rembert Browne of Grantland, with a running diary of his thoughts while watching this miasma of fiery explosions and well-manicured stubble. His analysis is so great that I don't even need to point out the "5 coolest things". I think the only thing he missed was the appearance of Paul Shaffer at 3:35.
And one more thing. Just when I had resigned myself to the idea that I would never understand this video, I came across this VHS tape. For only $70 you can buy a 65-minute version of the "Heartbeat" video. After reading through the reviews, it is clear that this deal is not to be missed. From the editor: "Heartbeat is a surrealistic journey into the experiences and reflections of a documentary filmmaker (played by Don Johnson) as he evaluates the people and places that have made up his life."
Everything makes sense now. Move over Sgt. Pepper's, Don Johnson is looking for a heartbeat.
In the '80s, it was common for the hottest TV star in Hollywood to unleash his musical talents onto the public. For a while it happened every year as a matter of course - Eddie Murphy (1985), Don Johnson (1986), and Bruce Willis (1987). All three had a debut single reach the top five on the Billboard charts, but surprisingly this did not translate into long fruitful recording careers.
Of course, Don Johnson was on top of the world in 1986 as Sonny Crockett on Miami Vice. I never watched the show myself. But to my 15-year-old brain, "Heartbeat" was an awesome song. I even purchased the album (actually, it was a cassette tape) and enjoyed several of the tracks. I also drew a picture of the cover artwork in my tenth grade art class. All the while, never realizing what a terrible song it actually was.
"Hearrrrrttttttbeat! I'm looking for a hearrrrrttttttbeat!" Who could resist? This is truly one of the greatest horrible songs of all time. The lyrics are absolute nonsense. It's a blatant attempt to cash in on Johnson's popularity. And yet, it is infectious from the opening notes. A real guilty pleasure.
Give the man credit though, he put together a ton of talent for his debut album. Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, Ron Wood, Willie Nelson. A Who's Who of rock 'n' roll. There's even second-generation rock royalty, future MTV VJ Dweezil Zappa playing guitar on this track.
The ridiculous video is deserving of its own article. Fortunately, that has been written by Rembert Browne of Grantland, with a running diary of his thoughts while watching this miasma of fiery explosions and well-manicured stubble. His analysis is so great that I don't even need to point out the "5 coolest things". I think the only thing he missed was the appearance of Paul Shaffer at 3:35.
And one more thing. Just when I had resigned myself to the idea that I would never understand this video, I came across this VHS tape. For only $70 you can buy a 65-minute version of the "Heartbeat" video. After reading through the reviews, it is clear that this deal is not to be missed. From the editor: "Heartbeat is a surrealistic journey into the experiences and reflections of a documentary filmmaker (played by Don Johnson) as he evaluates the people and places that have made up his life."
Everything makes sense now. Move over Sgt. Pepper's, Don Johnson is looking for a heartbeat.
This video also appeared on a couple "worst videos ever made" lists on MTV, and was most notably voted the worst ever on their 25 Lame special. At the end, the hosts (Janeane Garofalo, Denis Leary, Chris Kattan and Jon Stewart) put the tape in a blender and sort of liquefied the thing. (It and the rest of the top 10 videos were permanently retired from MTV.)
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