Top 10 Fiona Songs

Feature Photo of Fiona: photographed by Andrew Greto ©

Our Top 10 Fiona Songs article presents the music of Fiona Flanagan, who first arrived on the music scene in the 1980s. Hands down, Fiona has always been one of our favorite rock and roll artists. The simple goal of this article is to celebrate some of her finest recordings while hopefully turning on some younger music fans to her music.
Many music fans who grew up in the New York Metropolitan area in the 1970s were big fans of the Good Rats. That Long Island-based group will always be regarded as one of the most exciting rock and roll bands to perform in New York rock clubs for years. Additionally, the band signed with Atlantic Records, where they released a series of fantastic albums. The connection between Fiona and the Good Rats is fueled by the fact that the Good Rats band leader, songwriter, and lead singer, the late Peppi Marchello, produced Fiona’s debut album.
Radio stations like WBAB on Long Island and others began playing the Fiona album, often mentioning that Peppi Marchello produced it. This immediately caught the attention of Good Rats fans like myself. However, what caught the attention of music fans even more was the fact that this new voice on the music scene, going by the name Fiona, had recorded a killer album that spawned the single “Talk To Me,” which rock fans could not get enough of. The song also went into rotation on MTV, helping Fiona develop a national audience.
I remember hearing the song “Talk To Me” on the radio and instantly being hooked on Fiona’s passionate rock voice. There was a grit to it, especially on the high notes, that was simply captivating. Fiona was pure rock and roll. She was completely genuine and delivered a sound that blurred the lines between 70s rock and 80s metal.
Fiona has released five studio albums. Her self-titled debut album, Fiona, was released in 1985. Fiona followed up her debut album in 1986 with the release of Beyond The Pale. It would be another three years before Fiona fans got a new Fiona album. However, fans did get some new music as Fiona starred in the film Hearts of Fire with Bob Dylan. The soundtrack album contained four new Fiona songs. In the middle of her successful music career, Fiona had not only starred in a major motion picture opposite one of the greatest musical artists of all time in Bob Dylan, but she also appeared as the character Jackie in one of the hottest TV shows of the 80s, Miami Vice, episode “Little Miss Dangerous.”
In 1989, Fiona released her third album entitled Heart Like A Gun. Another three years would go by until Fiona released her fourth album called Squeeze. As the years went by, it seemed as if Fiona fans had enjoyed their last Fiona album with Squeeze. However, almost twenty years after the release of Squeeze, Fiona returned with a new album in 2011 entitled Unbroken.
Below are ten songs that we have chosen from across her entire career that we feel should serve as a starting point for fans looking to get into the music of Fiona.

# 10 – Hang Your Heart on Me

We open up our top 10 Fiona songs list with the cooking song entitled “Hang You Heart On Me.” This seemed to be the perfect choice to open our Fiona songs article, as it was the opening track on Fiona’s debut album. The song opens up with the Good Rats drummer Joe Franco exploding out of the gate, knocking the tweeters out of the speakers. Guitarist Bobby Messano lays down a slick guitar riff, and the ride is all set for Fiona to deliver her scorching vocals.
Fiona’s debut album was released in 1985. The album’s opening track, “Hang You Heart On Me,” was composed by Fiona Flanagan, Donnie Kisselbach, and Harry Reilly. Donnie Kisselbach played bass on the album. The song was never released as a single, but it did receive a lot of airplay on FM rock radio.
Read More: Bobby Messano: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview

# 9 – Everything You Are

Continuing with our top 10 Fiona songs list, we take a jump from her 1985 debut album to her latest release in 2011. The song “Everything You Are” was released on the album Unbroken. Fiona can knock a ballad out of the ballpark just as well as she does the rockers. This beautiful song was initially released by the band Prophet in 1985. Fiona sounds so good on this one. She sings this ballad with such perfect tenderness as the song calls for. Yet, what always made Fiona stand out was that behind the sweetness of the ballads was an intensity that you knew was going to hit you in the heart at any second. She never misses……

# 8 – Hopelessly Love You

Fiona’s second album, Beyond The Pale, was a dramatically different effort from her first. As with any new musical artist that comes swinging out of the gate with an album that captures the attention of millions of rock fans, record companies, management, and anybody else involved in an artist’s career will always try to take that artist to the next level. That usually entails bringing in big-time producers, legendary session players, hit songwriters, and a better coffee machine. Many rock artists risk getting lost in the midst of all those changes. However, Fiona’s vocal talent and passion were far too strong to be overwhelmed by any stylistic changes. The result was an album that sounded like the time period in which it was recorded. Heavy use of synths, big style production, and a very slick sound. That was the sound of 1986.
The song “Hopelessly Loves You” defines our point. Listen to the song’s opening. It’s very keyboard-dominated. The Nile Rodgers’ sound looms heavily on this track. Nile Rodgers‘ guitar playing creates the groove. His guitar is low in the mix, but it’s essential to the song’s rhythm. David Rosenberg’s drums are loud in the mix, a key element of that big ’80s sound. This is an interesting song in Fiona’s catalog. It showcases an entire team of players surrounding an extremely talented artist as they try to catapult her to superstardom. This is a familiar story in rock history. “Hopelessly Loves You” was released as the album’s second single. Michael Stewart and Dan Williams wrote the song. Beau Hill produced the album.

# 7 – Ain’t That Just Like Love

In the number seven position on our top 10 Fiona songs list is the song entitled “Ain’t That Just Like Love.” The song was released on the album entitled Squeeze. The album was released in 1992. This was an interesting album, starting with its cover. For the first time, a Fiona album cover featured not only Fiona. The cover seemed to indicate that Fiona had now become the name of the band. The intent behind recording the album was to do it as a band, featuring the musicians on the cover. Nonetheless, the music is all Fiona Flanagan. The band is fantastic, but it’s still the Fiona Flanagan show as it should be.
There were many great songs on the album. Still, we felt the second track was a good representation of the album and the sound Fiona delivered in 1992, set against the backdrop of dark, depressing grunge music that everyone was going crazy over. It didn’t matter to Fiona what else was happening; she continued to do her thing, her own style, her own music, despite the success and popularity of grunge in 1992.

# 6 -Rescue You

Every once in a while, a rock and roll vocalist will hit a note in a song with such power and passionate energy that the moment leaves the listener breathless. Fiona hit such a note in the mesmerizing song “Rescue You.” It happens toward the end of the song when she has just about had it with the subject of the song and sings “in the blackness of the night.” It’s her final notes of the song, and you are left wondering who is still standing. Peppi Marchello wrote the powerful rocking ballad. The Good Rats frontman wrote four of the eight songs released on Fiona’s debut album.

# 5 – Hearts Of Fire

At the halfway point on our top 10 Fiona songs list is the stunning movie soundtrack song entitled “Hearts Of Fire.” Fiona hit a grand slam with this one. This is such a great song that Fiona recorded. The song was released on the soundtrack album for the film Hearts of Fire. The film was released in 1987. The movie starred Fiona Flannagan as rocker Molly McGuire. Hearts of Fire also starred Bob Dylan as Billy Parker and Rupert Everett as James Colt. There were many other great artists in the film, including the man who opened Woodstock, Richie Havens, as Pepper Ward, and Ian Dury as Bones. “Hearts of Fire” was a perfect ’80s soundtrack song.

# 4 – Love Makes You Blind

At the number four spot on our top 10 Fiona songs list, we turn once again to the most heavily represented Fiona album on this list. The song “Love Makes You Blind” was released on Fiona’s 1985 debut album titled Fiona. The song was also featured in the motion picture No Small Affair, which starred Demi Moore and Jon Cryer.”Love Makes You Blind” stands as one of the most powerful rock ballads Fiona ever recorded. Fiona lays it all out on the line on this one. Her vocals will cut right through you. The song “Love Makes You Blind” was written by Peppi Marchello.

# 3 – Loved Along The Way

As we travel through Fiona’s catalog, we jump ahead again to her most recent album, Unbroken. One of the album’s strongest tunes was the mid-tempo heavy rocker “Loved Along The Way.” Nearly thirty years after her debut album, the rock and roll world finds Fiona still releasing fervent, rocking tunes.
Fiona’s long-awaited fifth album was produced by Fiona’s husband, James Christian, who many rock fans will know from the band House Of Lords. Besides producing the album, James Christian also played bass on the record. The album also featured the return of Bobby Messano and Tommy Denander on guitar. The rest of the musicians on the album included Jeff Batter on Keyboards, James Jamal on drums, and Robin Beck on backing vocals. Robin Beck also performed a duet with Fiona on the track “This Heart.”

# 2 – Everything You Do (You’re Sexing Me)

No other song in Fiona’s catalog sounded as glam metal as this one. We couldn’t make a top 10 Fiona songs list without including this one. With Kip Winger on board, this one was heavy glam metal. In fact, it wasn’t just Kip Winger singing a duet with Fiona on the track. Kip Winger played bass on the entire album, along with Rod Morgenstein on drums, who also played drums in the band Winger. Many rock fans also knew Rod Morgenstein from his time in the fabulous Dixie Dregs. Fiona’s history with Rod Morgenstein dates back to the demos she recorded with Dixie Dregs members in the early 1980s, which helped her secure a record deal. The video for this one is also a lot of fun. This is Major League World Series glam metal that is just so jaw-dropping with these two.

# 1 – Talk To Me

We close out our top 10 Fiona songs list with the song that started it all for Fiona. The exhilarating song “Talk To Me” was released on Fiona’s debut album, entitled Fiona. The song’s slow keyboard introduction quickly breaks into a full-fledged rocker that wastes no time introducing Fiona’s electrifying voice. There is no waiting for the song to start captivating the listener; this one grabs you by the neck the second Fiona steps up to the microphone.
All that rock fans came to love about Fiona is featured in full force in the song “Talk To Me.” The resonance in her voice is striking. Every syllable, every word sung, is delivered in such stunning fashion that you believe everything she is singing about. She puts you in the moment, a moment we all know well, when she screams, “Just give it to me straight.”
The song “Talk To Me” was written by Beau Hill. Rock fans who loved reading liner notes on albums will recognize that name. Beau Hill produced many big-time albums, including releases by Ratt, Warrant, Winger, Alice Cooper, Kix, and more. At one time, Beau Hill and Fiona were also married.
The song “Talk To Me” was a hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number sixty-four. The song was an even bigger hit on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks, breaking into the top 20 and reaching number 12. Regardless of chart success, it remains the song that turned so many fans onto Fiona’s talents, making them lifelong fans.