Experiencing a live band performance is truly an extraordinary event, and this sentiment extends beyond mere nostalgia. The thrill of being part of a real-time musical experience is unlike any other.

Allow Nancy Wilson of Heart to elaborate on this unique phenomenon.

“Because we play completely live, we don’t have pre-records, so we really have skin in the game when we’re on stage,” she shared with the Los Angeles Daily News in February of 2025. “It’s only going to happen that one time, live on a stage like that, so the moments are really precious and larger than life.” These words encapsulate the magic that is felt by both performers and audience members alike.

Heart boasts a rich history, having produced over a dozen studio albums throughout their career. With such an extensive catalog, the band has a wealth of music to choose from for their set lists. Below, utilizing insights from setlist.fm, we’ve compiled an analysis of The Most and Least-Played Songs Live from every Heart album. For clarity, we will not include Heart’s most recent album, 2016’s Beautiful Broken, which primarily features re-recordings of their classic songs.

Furthermore, it’s noteworthy that some songs from Heart’s extensive repertoire have never graced the stage during their performances. Our focus here will be strictly on songs that have made it onto set lists at some point in their career. It is also important to mention that we are exclusively considering performances by Heart as a band, although the individual members, particularly the Wilson sisters, have performed some of these songs in their solo careers.

Album: Dreamboat Annie (1975)
Most-played: “Crazy on You”
Least-played: “(Love Me Like Music) I’ll Be Your Song”

Not only is “Crazy on You” the most-played track from Heart’s debut album, Dreamboat Annie, it also holds the title of the most-performed song in the band’s entire history, with an impressive total of 935 live performances. In a conversation with Louder in 2021, Nancy revealed, “I wanted to write an acoustic guitar intro before the song started. So I sat for a few days, just trying to channel that first bar. I wanted it to be really memorable. It was the hardest part, finding a way in. But now, every time I play the introduction, everyone recognizes it right away.” On the other hand, the least-performed song from this album, “(Love Me Like Music) I’ll Be Your Song,” has only been played a mere three times.

Album: Magazine (1977)
Most-played: “Heartless”
Least-played: Tie Between “Mother Earth Blues” and “I’ve Got the Music in Me” by the Kiki Dee Band

The second album from Heart, Magazine, has a rather complicated release history. Initially, it was released in 1977 in an incomplete form without the band’s consent by Mushroom Records. It saw a re-release in 1978 with a revised track sequence. Among the tracks from this album, only one has never been performed live, titled “Here Song.” The next least-played songs, which are tied, are “Mother Earth Blues,” performed live, and a cover of the Kiki Dee Band’s “I’ve Got the Music in Me,” both of which have only been played three times. Leading the pack is “Heartless,” which has received an impressive 355 performances.

Album: Little Queen (1977)
Most-played: “Barracuda”
Least-played: “Go on Cry”

One of rock music’s most instantly recognizable riffs belongs to “Barracuda,” which peaked at No. 11 on the charts for Heart. Nancy has mentioned that the inspiration for this iconic riff came from Nazareth’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “This Flight Tonight.” “Barracuda” has been performed just over 900 times since its release. Of the songs on this album, one track, “Cry to Me,” has never been played live. However, another song with a similar name, “Go on Cry,” has only been performed four times, earning it the title of least-played track.

Album: Dog & Butterfly (1978)
Most-played: “Straight On”
Least-played: “Lighter Touch”

In the album Dog & Butterfly, the only song that has never been performed is appropriately titled “Nada One.” In terms of live performances, “Lighter Touch” is at the bottom, having been played only once on the Fourth of July in 1981. Luckily, this performance was recorded, so listeners can enjoy it. Meanwhile, “Straight On” stands out as the most-played track, with a total of 655 performances. Reflecting on this album in 2023, Nancy expressed, “When I hear those songs now, I feel proud.”

Album: Bebe le Strange (1980)
Most-played: “Even It Up”
Least-played: “Down on Me”

The end of the ’70s did not signal the decline of Heart; instead, the band continued to thrive. Released in May of 1980, Bebe le Strange reached No. 5 on the charts and remained in the top rankings for 22 weeks. According to Ann Wilson, “Even It Up,” the album’s most-played track, was crafted as a bold statement. “[I]It was definitely a response to being obstructed as women in the rock field,” she shared with Songfacts in 2022. “There are so many systemic things that get thrown up in front of you, different glass walls and stuff. We were speaking out against it then.” There is again one song from this album that has never appeared in a set list, titled “Pilot.” On the other end, “Down on Me” is the least-played song, which Ann described in the same interview as a “great blues song.”

Album: Private Audition (1982)
Most-played: “City’s Burning”
Least-played: “Bright Light Girl”

Reflecting on the 1982 album Private Audition, Ann explained, “The band was in a period of transition…and that was reflected on the record. It wasn’t a bad record. It just wasn’t a commercial record.” Notably, the album reached No. 25 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Out of the album’s 11 tracks, four have never been performed live: “Private Audition,” “Hey Darlin Darlin,” “One Word,” and “America.” Among the tracks performed, “Bright Light Girl” has only seen the stage twice, once in 1981 and again in 1982. Even the most-played song, “City’s Burning,” has logged only 33 performances.

Album: Passionworks (1983)
Most-played: “How Can I Refuse”
Least-played: Tie Between “Johnny Moon” and “Love Mistake”

The 1983 album Passionworks introduced two new members to the Heart lineup: Denny Carmassi and Mark Andes on drums and bass, respectively. This album features a distinct sound compared to previous Heart releases, characterized by the heavy use of synthesizers. “We changed everything. Nancy and I just instinctively felt that we had come to the end of an era,” Ann shared with Classic Rock in 2023. Four tracks from Passionworks remain unperformed: “Together Now,” “Heavy Heart,” “Language of Love,” and “Ambush.” The most-played track, “How Can I Refuse,” has reached 161 performances, while a tie exists for least-played between “Johnny Moon” and “Love Mistake,” each with 11 performances logged.

Album: Heart (1985)
Most-played: “These Dreams”
Least-played: “What He Don’t Know”

This transformative period for Heart culminated in the release of their self-titled album in 1985, their inaugural project with Columbia Records, which soared to the top of the U.S. charts. Only one song, “All Eyes,” has not made it onto set lists. The rest of the album’s tracks enjoyed significant live representation. “These Dreams” has achieved 740 performances, making it the fourth most-played track in Heart’s entire catalog. On the opposite end, “What He Don’t Know” has only been performed 13 times, all occurring in 1985.

Album: Bad Animals (1987)
Most-played: “Alone” by i-Ten
Least-played: “RSVP”

Heart’s subsequent album, Bad Animals, released in 1987, did not achieve the same level of success as its predecessor. Instead of reaching No. 1, it peaked at No. 2. Interestingly, the most-performed song from this album is a cover — Heart’s rendition of i-Ten’s “Alone,” which has been played 667 times. Numerous tracks from this album have never been performed live, with “RSVP” being the least-played song, totaling just eight performances, all in 1987.

Album: Brigade (1990)
Most-played: “Wild Child” by Romeo’s Daughter
Least-played: “I Love You”

If you’re a fan of the following three songs from Heart, we regret to inform you that they have never been selected for any set lists: “Secret,” “Cruel Nights,” and “I Want Your World to Turn.” On the other hand, if you appreciate the closing track from Brigade, “I Love You,” consider yourself fortunate if you caught one of the only two times it was performed in 2003. Meanwhile, “Wild Child,” penned by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Craig Joiner, and Anthony Mitman, leads the pack with 148 performances.

Album: Desire Walks On (1993)
Most-played: “Back to Avalon”
Least-played: “My Crazy Head”

The dynamic songwriting partnership between the Wilson sisters often included collaborations with other artists. “Back to Avalon,” which ranks as the most-played song from Desire Walks On, was co-written with Kit Hain, a talented artist who enjoyed a successful solo career and was part of the duo Marshall Hain. Her musical contributions have also been appreciated by renowned artists like Roger Daltrey and Fleetwood Mac. While the least-played track is “My Crazy Head,” with only three performances, it’s noteworthy that the Spanish version of “Will You Be There (In the Morning)” — “Te Quedaras (En la Manana)” — is technically the least-played track overall, having been performed twice in Spanish-speaking countries.

Album: Jupiters Darling (2004)
Most-played: “Lost Angel”
Least-played: “The Perfect Goodbye”

After the release of Desire Walks On, Heart took an extended break from the studio, not returning until 2004 with Jupiters Darling. “We thought: let’s put the Heart car up on blocks in the back yard, let’s just look at it and figure out a new way to present it later,” Ann described in an interview with Classic Rock Radio at the time. “We started touring and we started writing songs again magically like they were just coming down from somewhere. It took us a while to get the songs for Jupiters Darling, but when we did, then we felt, well, the time is now.” The most-played track is “Lost Angel,” with 34 performances, while “The Perfect Goodbye” holds the last place with only one performance recorded in Nashville. If we include the performance on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, it increases to two.

Album: Red Velvet Car (2010)
Most-played: “WTF”
Least-played: “Safronia’s Mark”

Out of the ten tracks on Red Velvet Car, only five have been performed live. Of those, “Safronia’s Mark” is at the bottom, with a mere three appearances, while “WTF” has garnered 86 performances. Ann recalled, “[“WTF”] started like a jam, like that song by Cream, ‘SWLABR.’ Later when I wrote the words, they were really angry and they just blasted out of me, like I might have just as well said, ‘What the fuck?'”

Album: Fanatic (2012)
Most-played: “Dear Old America”
Least-played: “A Million Miles”

Fanatic, the 15th studio album from Heart, concludes our analysis. As previously mentioned, we are not including the 2016 album Beautiful Broken, which primarily consists of re-recordings. Despite being relatively recent, only three songs from Fanatic have remained unperformed: “Skin and Bones,” “Pennsylvania,” and “Corduroy Road.” The least-played track, “A Million Miles,” has only been performed twice, just days apart in 2019. At the top of the list is “Dear Old America,” inspired by the Wilson sisters’ experiences growing up in a military household.