Rhythm Of My Heart

Album

Vagabond Heart

Label

Warner Bros. Records

Genre

Dance-pop

Composer(s)

JOHN JOSEPH CAPEK;MARC JORDAN

Entered Chart

Mar 16, 1991

Peak Date

May 18, 1991

Released

4 March 1991

Catalog #

Warner Bros. 4-19366

B-Side

Moment Of Glory

If you only tune in to the chorus, you'd think this is an uplifting love song, but a listen to the verses reveals that "Rhythm Of My Heart" is about war, told from the perspective of a soldier with his heart racing in the heat of battle. It's pretty intense, with the sound of a helicopter at the beginning and lyrics like: Down in the gutter, life is slippin' away Let me still exist in another place ... Love may still exist in another place I'm just yankin' back the handle, no expression on my face During the chorus, the soldier thinks about home and the woman he loves. He just hopes he can make it back there alive. The music video makes the meaning of the song very clear. Directed by Caleb Deschanel, it shows the soldier dodging bombs on the battlefield. It has a happy ending, as he returns home safe to his family. The video looks like it's set in the 1950s, likely to avoid any political implications to modern conflicts. The song was written by the team of Marc Jordan and John Capek, who also wrote "Pieces Of Ice" by Diana Ross. Jordan is a popular solo artist in Canada. Speaking with Rock History Canada, he explained that the song is "about the loss of humanity that comes with war." The song was first recorded in 1986 by the Dutch singer René Shuman for his debut album. Someone at Stewart's record company found the song and had Rod record it; Stewart often covered soul classics like "This Old Heart Of Mine" and "Twistin' the Night Away," which he was very familiar with, but his label sometimes found little gems that he could spin into hits. A good example is "Some Guys Have All The Luck," first recorded years earlier by a group called The Persuaders. The bagpipes in this song represent Scotland, a place Stewart strongly associates with even though he never lived there (he's from England). His father is from Scotland and Rod supports the Glasgow soccer team Celtic. His 1986 song "Every Beat Of My Heart" also has bagpipes. Report this ad The song is used in the movies Loch Ness (1996) and The Perfect Storm (2000). Stewart was 46 when this song was released on his Vagabond Heart album, giving him yet another hit in his extremely prolific career. Stewart had a talent for growing with his audience in a way that was still contemporary. He wrote many of his own songs but was also open to songs written by others that he could transform with his distinct delivery. His next single, "The Motown Song," was also a substantial hit. Another upbeat-sounding hit that many listeners don't realize is about war is "Walking On A Thin Line" by Huey Lewis & the News. That one is specifically about the Vietnam War. Trevor Horn of The Buggles ("Video Killed The Radio Star") produced this song. He and Stewart first teamed up when Horn helmed Stewart's cover of "Downtown Train." Horn, who did a few stints in the band Yes, has a rather eclectic production discography. A sample: "Can't Fight The Moonlight" by LeAnn Rimes "Bodies" by Robbie Williams "Crazy" by Seal Rod Stewart joined Amy Macdonald and various Glaswegians to sing a new version of "Rhythm Of My Heart" at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. This version, which replaced the war imagery with lyrics about the beauty of Scotland, was re-written by the song's co-writer, Marc Jordan.

Across the street the river runs
Down in the gutter life is slipping away
Let me still exist in another place
Running down under cover
Of a helicopter blade

The flames are getting higher
In effigy
Burning down the bridges of my memory
Love may still alive
Somewhere someday
Where they're downing only deer
A hundred steel towns away

Oh, rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words I love you
Rolling off my tongue
No never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky
I'll be sailing

Photographs and kerosene
Light up my darkness
Light it up
Light it up
I can still feel the touch
Of your thin blue jeans
Running down the alley
I've got my eyes all over you, baby
Oh, baby

Oh, the rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words I love you
Rolling off my tongue
No never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky
I'll be sailing

Oh, yeah

Oh, I've got lightning in my veins
Shifting like the handle
Of a slot machine
Love may still exist
In another place
I'm just yanking back the handle
No expression on my face

Oh, the rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words I love you
Rolling off my tongue
No never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky
I'll be sailing

Oh, the rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words I love you
Rolling off my tongue
No never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky
I'll be sailing

The rhythm of my heart
Is beating like a drum
With the words I love you rolling off my tongue
No never will I roam
For I know my place is home
Where the ocean meets the sky
I'll be sailing