Bobby Bland, Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 65^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2023), we recollect and reflect on “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” by Bobby Bland.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 65^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2023), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City”, performed by 🎙 Bobby “Blue” Bland. 

“Ain’t no love in the heart of the city / Ain’t no love in the heart of town.” My question is, why? Well, per late, great blues/R&B 🎙 Bobby “Blue” Bland, the reason why there 🎵 “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” is “cause you ain’t around.” Sigh, it’s always those pesky matters of the heart that affect things – love gone bad or expired! “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” commences Bland’s 1974 album, 💿 Dreamer. While the song is beloved and managed to become a hit on the R&B charts, sadly, this soulful record only peaked at no. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Not every classic can be hit the mainstream charts the same way, I suppose.

The narrative of this 🎼 ✍ Michael Price and Dan Walsh penned record is simple and straightforward.  Even so, Bland provides plenty of expression – ample nuance – to “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City.” “When you were mine / Oh, I was feeling so good.” Of course, of course Bobby, “But now that you’re gone / You know the sun don’t shine.” Yep – it’s a different vibe when the lover has exited the picture.  Even though “The nighttime calls / There’s a blanket of gloom,” and “another teardrop falls / In my lonely room,” Bland’s love pain is our utmost listening pleasure 🤩. The production fits both the blues and R&B/soul aesthetic.  Notably, 🎵 “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” has been covered by many times (🎙 Barrett Strong, 🎙 Whitesnake, and 🎙 Black Pumas) and is a popular sample fueling standouts by Jay-Z (🎵 “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)”) and DJ Khaled (🎵 “THANKFUL”).

🎙 Bobby Bland • 💿 Dreamer • 🏷 MCA • 🗓 1974

Bobby “Blue” Bland, “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 65 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; MCA; John Alan Sperry, PIRO via  Pixabay]