# Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City

"Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" is a 1974 R&B song written by Michael Price and Dan Walsh, and first recorded by Bobby "Blue" Bland for his Dreamer album on the ABC Dunhill label.

## Background

While it is ostensibly a love song, some critics and fans have also heard it as a lament on urban poverty and hopelessness, as well as a lament upon the struggle to achieve one's goals in life in the absence of external support. "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" remains a cult favorite, and is considered a classic.

## Chart performance

In the US, Bland scored a top ten hit on the Hot Soul Singles chart, where it peaked at number 9, as well as peaking at number 91 on the Hot 100.

## Cover versions and samples

It is known through several cover versions and samples:
* A well-known cover of the song is by the hard rock band Whitesnake, who included it on their 1978 debut EP, Snakebite, and again as a live recording on Live...in the Heart of the City. The cover was the new band's first hit, and it became a staple of their live set.
* For his 2001 album The Blueprint, rapper Jay-Z recorded the song "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)," a Kanye West-produced track built around a sample of Bobby Bland's chartmaking rendition.
Other notable cover versions have been recorded by:
* Bobby Bazini - on his sophomore album, Where I Belong (folk/soul, 2014)
* The cover version by reggae singer Al Brown even changes most of the lyrics to magnify the emphasis of the lyrics.
* Barrett Strong (R&B, 1976)
* Café Jacques - on the album Round the Back' (rock, 1977)
* Grady Tate (jazz, 1977)
* Long John Baldry (blues, 1977)
* Kate Taylor (rock, 1979)
* Crystal Gayle (country, 1980)
* Herman Brood (rock, Bühnensucht, live recording, 1985)
* Chris Farlowe (R&B, 1985)
* Walter "Wolfman" Washington (New Orleans R&B, on 1991 album, Sada)
* The Good Earth (pop/rock, 1994)
* Mick Abrahams (rock, 1996)
* Jørn Lande (hard rock, The Snakes Live in Europe, 1998)
* Paul Weller (rock, 1998)
* Willie Clayton (R&B, 1998, as "Heart of the City")
* Jay Z (on the album The Blueprint, as "Heart of City (Ain't No Love)", 2001)
* Mary Coughlan (jazz, 2002)
* Joey Tempest (rock/metal, 2003)
* Maggie Bell (rock, 2004, live recording)
* Vaya Con Dios (rock, 2004)
* YTcracker (From the STC Is the Greatest album, track number 16, "Spamcity", 2004)
* Joe Budden (Rap, 2007)
* Paul Carrack (blue-eyed soul, pop/rock, 2008)
* Allman Brothers (blues, 2009 live recording)
* Nicky Moore (blues rock, 2009)
* GRiZ (sampled on the song "Where's The Love" on the album Mad Liberation, 2012)
* Lukas Graham (blue-eyed soul, 2012 as "Daddy, Now That You're Gone (Ain't No Love)")
* Dana Fuchs (On album Broken Down, acoustic sessions 2015)
* Supersonic Blues Machine (On the album West of Flushing South of Frisco, 2016)
* Zeshan B (On album, Vetted, 2017)
* Black Pumas (On the album Black Pumas Deluxe Edition Exclusive 2LP+7", released 2020)
* DJ Khaled (Sampled on the intro track "THANKFUL", on the album Khaled Khaled, released 2021)
* Gov't Mule (on the album Heavy Load Blues, released 2021)
* Horace Andy (on album Midnight Scorchers, released 2022)
* Kanye West (Drums sampled on the song Jesus Walks, from the album The College Dropout, released 2004)

## Popular culture

* Jay-Z's version of the song was used in the trailer for the 2007 film American Gangster, in a 2011 Chrysler commercial, as the theme song for the CBS series NYC 22 and a Crown Royal commercial in 2013.
* The song is featured in the 2009 video game DJ Hero, in "mashed-up" form.
* The song is played over the opening credits of the 2019 Norwegian time-travel fantasy comedy-drama television series, Beforeigners.
* The song is featured on the soundtracks to the 2009 film Fighting, the 2011 crime drama The Lincoln Lawyer and is also featured in the 2017 movie The Hitman's Bodyguard.
* The song is featured in episode 5 of Sex Education.
* The song is also featured in season five of the Netflix series, Last Chance U, which focuses on the lives of Laney College football players and staff within Oakland, California.
* In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Aaron Davis of Earth-42 plays a Bobby Bland LP with this song on it.
* The original version of the song is featured in the South Korean crime drama, The Frog.

## Charts

1980-1981 chart performance for "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" :
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 51 |
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
| US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 109 |