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Season 4 of The Story Behind the Song keeps on rolling with an exciting repeat guest. On the latest episode, Nancy Wilson of Heart makes her return to the podcast and joins host Peter Csathy to break down one of the band’s most celebrated tracks, “Barracuda.” Listen above or wherever you get your podcasts, and watch the full interview below.
Wilson opens up about the creation of “Barracuda” from Heart’s 1977 album Little Queen. She takes us back to a time when the band was riding high on success, but also facing the challenges and pressures that came with newfound fame. Inspired by an uncomfortable encounter with a reporter who spread false rumors about the relationship between Nancy and her sister, Ann, “Barracuda” was born out of anger and frustration, transforming those emotions into a powerful anthem.
“We were at some party, some release party, a release party I think… The guys were in their satin jackets and doing their cocaine,” Wilson recalls. “…People were really heavy schmoozing and trying to get all the most salacious details into the press about us that they could come up with. And that’s where that happened, was this guy says, ‘Hey, so Ann, how’s your lover?’ And Ann goes, ‘Micheal, he’s right over there. Why?’ And he goes, ‘No, I mean your sister-lover!’… So she was really pissed off about it. And so she left; she turned on her boot heel and she stormed away from the room and went up to the hotel room and just wrote the words to ‘Barracuda’ in their entirety.”
As for that “sister-lover” thing? “The innuendo was really… it just wasn’t true. I mean, it would’ve been fine if it was true, if we were together as a couple, but we weren’t. We both had boyfriends and it just wasn’t our way of sexuality at the time,” says Wilson. “Because our first album had the two of us touching bare shoulders looking at the lens, I guess. That’d be pretty tame for these days.”
The conversation also delves into Nancy’s creative process, her evolving musical influences, and the band’s experiences during their early years. From their “gypsy” vibe during the Little Queen era to the continuous transformation of rock music, Wilson reflects on how “Barracuda” became not just a song, but a symbol of resistance and strength, especially for women in rock.
Listen to Nancy Wilson discuss the making of “Barracuda” above or on your favorite podcast platform, and watch the full interview below. Also, revisit Wilson’s 2024 appearance on The Story Behind the Song, where she broke down another one of Heart’s biggest hits, “Crazy on You.” Make sure to follow The Story Behind the Song, and rate and review on Apple Podcasts.
Nancy Wilson and Heart have a busy summer of touring ahead of them. They just completed a North American run, and head back on the road to kick off their “An Evening with Heart Tour” on May 31st in Atlantic City. They’ll tour through June and begin a newly-announced 2025 US tour with Todd Rundgren in August. Get tickets to see Heart here. Meanwhile, we just named Nancy Wilson as one of the 100 Best Guitarists of All Time for Consequence’s Guitar Week, and Wilson also named her five favorite guitarists for the Consequence Guitar Survey.
Fans of the podcast can also check out our TSBTS merch — including a killer poster and jigsaw puzzle — available now at the Consequence Shop or via the buy now buttons below! Follow host Peter Csathy on Threads at @pcsathy and at Deep Cuts Media, and keep up with the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our shows.
English (US) · 