Heart's career-defining hit Barracuda is now being introduced to a new generation thanks to Chappell Roan, who has included the 1977 hit as one of her tour staples this year.
On September 21, Nancy Wilson gave Roan her stamp of approval by joining her onstage at Forest Hills Stadium in New York for a surprise collaborative rendition of the Heart classic.
Armed with her one-of-a-kind purple sparkle baritone Telecaster – which was stolen and later retrieved just a couple of months ago – Wilson, alongside Roan and her band, delivered a powerful rendition of the track, arguably living up to Roan's comments that it is among the greatest songs, perhaps even the greatest song, ever recorded.
“It gives me hope and positive appreciation for where the culture is going,” Wilson tells Vulture. “I was completely honored to do that for Chappell.”
As for how the two met, Wilson continues, “It was one of those things where, when we met, she was the sweetest person on earth. She said, ‘It’s an honor to be here and meet you.’ It was like, Where’s Chappell Roan? I thought she was going to be some big diva, but she’s this wonderful, sweet-hearted person, intelligent and funny.
“We went our separate ways, and she kept doing Barracuda on her tour. My hubby, Jeff said, ‘Well, maybe she’d want you to play with her sometime.’ So we put the idea out there and her team responded, ‘Whoa, would you really do it?’ I never would’ve thought of insinuating myself into her show, but it was natural, since she does Barracuda every night.”
At the show, Roan even mentioned that it's one of the songs she wishes she wrote, which doesn't go unnoticed by Wilson.
“I think she relates to the song for the reason of what it’s all about – the song kicks the asses of slimy guys in the culture,” Wilson observes.
“They’re still everywhere. They haven’t gone away. If anything, it’s worse now than it was in the ’70s. I think she’s really reactionary and intelligent about her own sexuality and her place in a culture regarding her individual personhood. Barracuda speaks to her, and she’s a radical and intelligent thinker.”
As for Barracuda and Heart's legacy, Wilson believes there is currently a shift happening among the younger generation toward rock and the rediscovery of classic rock.
“I’ve seen, even at the Heart shows, 9-year-old kids playing air guitar when we do Barracuda and Crazy on You,” she relates. “There’s a lot of singing along from college kids, and the original Heart fans always show up like the loyal fans they’ve always been. It’s a multigenerational situation.
“In the pop-culture world now with Chappell and Olivia [Rodrigo], a lot of the music had been so mechanized and auto-tuned – spoon-fed that way for a little bit longer than people realize. There’s a feeling of music history that comes from classic rock. It’s not completely disposable. It passes through the generations a bit more.
“There’s a personal story to it. The attention-span theater is growing back a bit longer because of the sense of history and security a classic rock song will give you, as well as unity among the people that love those songs,” she concludes.
Earlier this year, Chappell Roan's guitarist, Andrea Ferrero, spoke to Guitar World about her experience playing a custom mirrorball Gibson Les Paul on Roan’s hit, Pink Pony Club, at the Grammys.
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