The Heart of the Matter (song)

"The Heart of the Matter"
Single by Don Henley
from the album The End of the Innocence
Released 1990
Format CD single
Genre Rock
Length 5:21
Label Geffen
Writer(s) Mike Campbell, Don Henley, J. D. Souther
Producer Mike Campbell, Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar
Don Henley singles chronology
"The Last Worthless Evening"
(1989)		 "The Heart of the Matter"
(1990)		 "How Bad Do You Want It?"
(1990)
Audio sample
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"The Heart of the Matter"
Single by India.Arie
from the album Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
Released September 4, 2006
(U.S. smooth jazz radio)[1]
Format Promo CD single
Genre Soul, R&B
Length 5:15
Label Motown
Writer(s) Mike Campbell, Don Henley, J. D. Souther
Producer India.Arie, Frank "Blame" Macek
India.Arie singles chronology
"There's Hope"
(2006)		 "The Heart of the Matter"
(2006)		 "Beautiful Flower"
(2007)
Audio sample
file info · help

"The Heart of the Matter" is a song recorded by American rock singer Don Henley from his third solo studio album, The End of the Innocence (1989). Written by Henley, Mike Campbell, and J. D. Souther and produced by Henley, Campbell, and Danny Kortchmar, the song was released as the album's third single, reaching number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Mainstream Rock Tracks in early 1990. A radio edit version of this single, which is played on airline radio and on-air broadcast has the "I'm learning to live without you now, but I miss you baby" omitted and skipped directly to "I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter". In 1994 Henley, along with the Eagles, played an acoustic version of the song at their reunion concert; the performance was omitted from the Hell Freezes Over live album, but was included in the concert DVD.

The song was covered by American soul singer India.Arie in 2006 on her third studio album, Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship. Her version of the song is used in the second episode of Brothers & Sisters, entitled "An Act of Will", and in the theatrical trailer for the 2008 film adaptation of Sex and the City. It is also played briefly in a scene of the film. During the 2007 North Sea Jazz Festival, Arie revealed she heard that Henley preferred her version over his own. [2]

In 2010, best-selling author Emily Giffin released preview copies of her novel, also titled, 'Heart Of The Matter', which many sources believe to be loosely based on the song's core lyrics.

Contents

Charts

Don Henley version

Chart (1990)[3] Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Billboard Hot 100 21
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 2
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 3

India.Arie version

Chart (2006) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs[4] 7
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Canadian Hot 100[5] 33
Swedish Singles Chart[5] 46
UK Singles Chart[6] 79

References

  1. ^ "Smooth Jazz – Week Of: September 4, 2006". Radio & Records. http://gfa.radioandrecords.com/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=09/04/2006&Format=8. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
  2. ^ (in English). Rotterdam, Netherlands. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJb_Sq7_jjo. Retrieved July 22, 2011. 
  3. ^ "The End of the Innocence > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r9247. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
  4. ^ "Smooth Jazz Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=409&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Smooth+Jazz+Songs&ci=3080491&cdi=9129002&cid=12%2F16%2F2006. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
  5. ^ a b "India.arie – The Heart Of The Matter – Music Charts". αCharts.us. http://acharts.us/song/36023. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
  6. ^ "Chart Stats – India Arie – The Heart Of The Matter". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=33840. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
Don Henley
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
See also
India.Arie
Albums
Singles
"Video"  • "Brown Skin"  • "Little Things" • "I Am Not My Hair" (feat. Akon)  • "The Heart of the Matter"  • "There's Hope"  • "Beautiful Flower"  • "Words" (with Anthony David)  • "Chocolate High" (feat. Musiq Soulchild)