Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City

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Written by Michael Price and Dan Walsh, “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” was… Read More

Mar. 1, 19741 viewer50.7K views

Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City Lyrics

[Chorus]
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
Ain't no love in the heart of town
Ain't no love and it's sure nuff a pity
Ain't no love cause you ain't around

[Verse 1]
When you were mine
Oh, I was feeling so good
Cause your love lit up
This whole neighborhood

[Bridge]
But now that you're gone
You know the sun don't shine
From the city hall to the county line
And that's why I said

[Chorus]
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
Ain't no love in the heart of town
Ain't no love and it sure is a pity
Ain't no love cause you ain't around

[Verse 2]
Every place that I go
Oh, it seems so strange
Without you there
Things have changed
The nighttime calls
There's a blanket of gloom
Another teardrop falls
In my lonely room

[Chorus]
I said ain't no love
In the heart of the city
Ain't no love in the heart of town
Ain't no love, ain't any pity
Ain't no love cause you ain't around

[Bridge]
And now that you're gone
Oh, the sun don't shine
From the city hall to
The county line, I said

[Chorus]
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
Ain't no love in the heart of town
Ain't no love, it sure is a pity
Ain't no love cause you ain't around
Cause you ain't around
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
Ain't no love in this great big old town
Ain't no love and ain't it a pity
Ain't no love cause you ain't around
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
Ain't no love in the heart of this town

About

Written by Michael Price and Dan Walsh, “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” was first recorded in 1974 by Bobby “Blue” Bland (1930-2013), a Tennessee singer known for his evolving blues sound that frequently incorporated elements of gospel, soul and r&b. The song appeared on Bland’s 1974 ABC/Dunhill album Dreamer and was released as a single. Though it barely registered on the pop charts, topping out at #91, the song climbed the rhythm & blues charts to the #9 spot, giving Bland his 27th Top Ten R&B hit in seventeen years.

Though Bland largely disappeared from the charts after 1974, “Ain’t No Love” kept his legacy alive and has inspired many artists in a wide range of musical genres. Hard rock band Whitesnake recorded the song for their 1978 debut album and released a live version as a single two years later. Perhaps most famously, producer Kanye West heavily sampled Bland’s recording for the Jay-Z track “Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love)” on 2001’s The Blueprint.