

![Bobby “Blue” Bland, “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 65 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; ; John Alan Sperry, PIRO via Pixabay]](https://themusicalhype.com/wp-content/plugins/accelerated-mobile-pages/images/SD-default-image.png)
In the 65th 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 65th 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.


![Bobby Bland, Dreamer [📷: MCA]](https://themusicalhype.com/wp-content/plugins/accelerated-mobile-pages/images/SD-default-image.png)
“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]
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