Written by Huey Lewis and News guitarist/horn player Johnny Colla, this is another fun, well-crafted hit song for the band, one of 12 US Top 10 hits in the '80s. It's about how Rock music is alive and well all over the United States, similar in style to the Motown classic "Dancing in the Street," which also features powerful horns and shout outs to lots of cities.
Different versions of this song were sent to radio stations with nearby cities inserted into the lyrics. For instance, if you lived in New Mexico, you might hear Huey mention that the Heart of Rock n' Roll is beating in Santa Fe. This geotargeting was very effective in an age when Pop radio airplay was largely responsible for sales. The local cities were mentioned near the end, so you would listen through the whole song to hear it.
This was re-issued in 1985 for the Back To The Future soundtrack. Huey Lewis was in the movie, playing a talent show judge.
The band opened the 1985 Grammy Awards with a performance of this song. They won for Best Music Video, Long Form at the ceremony.
Despite their phenomenal success (or maybe because of it), the band took some heat for making songs that some critics labeled "uninspiring." Lewis addressed this criticism in a 1987 interview with San Francisco Chronicle, saying, "Nowhere is it written that rock and roll has to be political or change the world. One thing rock and roll has to be is true. And if it rings true, it's right."
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