Broken Down Heart
Encyclopedia
"Broken Down Heart" was the a song with the dubious distinction of first being on the a-side, and then subsequently flipped to the b-side of a 45 rpm record by the band Arrows in 1975. On the other side of this vinyl single record was the first released version of a song that has gone on to become an internationally known rock standard, the anthemic sing-along, "I Love Rock 'N Roll."
A medium tempo song, Broken Down Heart was written by Roger Ferris
, produced by Mickie Most
on RAK Records
, and sung by Arrows lead vocalist Alan Merrill
. The record was a follow up to a top 30 UK chart hit by Arrows titled My Last Night With You
, also written by Roger Ferris.
John Bundrick
played piano on "Broken Down Heart," Chris Spedding
played the guitar, and drums were by Clem Cattini
. The only Arrows band member actually contributing on "Broken Down Heart" was lead singer Alan Merrill, who also played bass on the track.
A medium tempo song, Broken Down Heart was written by Roger Ferris
Roger Ferris
Roger Ferris is a British pop music composer, who wrote a Top 30 UK chart hit single in 1975 for the band Arrows, entitled "My Last Night With You." The song was produced by Mickie Most on his RAK label....
, produced by Mickie Most
Mickie Most
Mickie Most was an English record producer, with a string of hit singles with acts such as The Animals, Arrows, Herman's Hermits, Donovan, Suzi Quatro and the Jeff Beck Group often issued on his own RAK Records label....
on RAK Records
RAK Records
Rak Records was a British record label, founded by record producer Mickie Most in 1969. Rak was home of artists like Herman's Hermits, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Kenny, Hot Chocolate, Smokie, Arrows, Span, Racey and Kim Wilde. Rak Records were distributed via a licensing deal with EMI, which bought the...
, and sung by Arrows lead vocalist Alan Merrill
Alan Merrill
Alan Merrill is an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. In the early 1970s Merrill was the first westerner to achieve pop star status in Japan...
. The record was a follow up to a top 30 UK chart hit by Arrows titled My Last Night With You
My Last Night With You
"My Last Night with You" was a UK top 30 chart hit record for the band Arrows in 1975.A soulful ballad, the song was written by Roger Ferris, and sung by Arrows lead vocalist Alan Merrill....
, also written by Roger Ferris.
John Bundrick
John Bundrick
John Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick is an American rock keyboardist, pianist and organist. He is best known for his work with The Who and associations with others including Eric Burdon, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Roger Waters, Free and Crawler. Bundrick is noted as the principal musician for the cult...
played piano on "Broken Down Heart," Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is an English rock and roll and jazz guitarist, best known for his session work. Allmusic states - "Spedding is one of the UK's most versatile session guitarists, and has had a long career on two continents that saw him tackle nearly every style of rock and roll, as well as...
played the guitar, and drums were by Clem Cattini
Clem Cattini
Clem Cattini , is an English rock and roll drummer who was a member of The Tornados before becoming well known for his work as a session musician...
. The only Arrows band member actually contributing on "Broken Down Heart" was lead singer Alan Merrill, who also played bass on the track.