Bébé le Strange

Bébé le Strange is the fifth studio album by American rock band Heart, released on February 14, 1980, by Epic Records. It was the first album without founding member Roger Fisher on lead guitar, who had left the band months prior along with his brother Michael.

The album was a commercial success, peaking at number five on the US Billboard 200 and spending 22 weeks on the chart.^[4] On May 5, 1980, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[5] Bébé le Strange spawned the singles "Even It Up" (backed by the Tower of Power horn section) and the title track. Some of the backing vocals were provided by Don Wilhelm, who had been in a group called The Army with Steve Fossen and Roger Fisher in the 1960s.

On June 29, 2004, the album was re-released by Epic and Legacy Recordings in a remastered expanded edition, containing two bonus tracks: the studio outtake "Jackleg Man" and a live version of "Break".^[6]

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Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[7]
Christgau's Record Guide	B+^[8]
PopMatters	Unfavorable^[9]
Rolling Stone	Unfavorable^[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[11]

Record World wrote of the single "Raised on You" that "Anne's [sic] lavish lead is enhanced by bold keyboard runs and Nancy's confident guitar."^[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ann Wilson, Sue Ennis, and Nancy Wilson, except where noted

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Bébé le Strange"	A. Wilson Ennis N. Wilson Roger Fisher	3:38
2.	"Down on Me"		4:46
3.	"Silver Wheels"	N. Wilson	1:22
4.	"Break"		2:32
5.	"Rockin Heaven Down"		5:52

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Even It Up"		5:10
7.	"Strange Night"		4:16
8.	"Raised on You"	N. Wilson	3:21
9.	"Pilot"		3:15
10.	"Sweet Darlin'"	A. Wilson	3:18
Total length:			37:30

2004 remastered reissue bonus tracks^[6]
No.	Title	Length
11.	"Jackleg Man" (previously unreleased)	3:02
12.	"Break" (live)	3:03
Total length:		43:35

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Bébé le Strange.^[13]

Heart

Ann Wilson – lead vocals (tracks 1, 2, 4–7, 9, 10); tambourine (tracks 1, 5, 6, 10); bass (tracks 1, 6, 10); backup vocals (tracks 1, 6, 7, 9); drums, alto flute, piano (track 10)
Nancy Wilson – guitars (tracks 1, 4, 9); backup vocals (tracks 1, 5–7, 9); rhythm guitars (tracks 2, 6); Mellotron (track 2); acoustic guitars (tracks 3, 7); electric guitar (track 5); lead guitar (track 6); lead vocals, all instruments except drums (track 8)
Howard Leese – guitars (tracks 1, 4, 9); lead guitar (track 2); synthesizer (track 2); backward solo (track 4); electric guitar (tracks 5, 7); acoustic guitars (track 5); backup vocals (tracks 5, 9); rhythm guitars (track 6); keyboards (track 9)
Michael Derosier – drums (tracks 1, 2, 4–9); rhythm instruments (track 7)
Steve Fossen – bass (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 9)

Additional musicians

Sue Ennis – guitar (track 1); piano (track 10)
Chrissy Shefts – guitar (track 1)
Connie^[a] – acoustic guitars (tracks 5, 10)
Don Wilhelm – backup vocals (track 5)
Gary Humphreys – backup vocals (track 5)
Tower of Power (Lenny Pickett, Greg Adams, Emilio Castillo, Steve Kupka, Mic Gillette) – horn section (track 6)

Technical

Mike Flicker – production, engineering, mixing
Connie^[a] – production
Howie – production
Rob Perkins – engineering
Armin Steiner – horn engineering (track 6)
Stewart Whitmore – horn engineering assistance (track 6)
John Golden – mastering at Kendun Recorders (Burbank, California)

Artwork

Tony Lane – art direction
Tom Girvin – logo graphics
Jeff Burger – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Bébé le Strange*
Chart (1980)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[14]	78
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[15]	24
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[16]	62
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[17]	50
US Billboard 200^[4]	5

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Bébé le Strange*
Chart (1980)	Position
US Billboard 200^[18]	86

Certifications

Certifications for *Bébé le Strange*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[19]	Platinum	100,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[5]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Connie is a pseudonym for Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis, and Ann Wilson.

References

^ "Heart – Even It Up" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^ "Heart – Raised On You" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^ "Heart – Bebe le Strange" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Heart Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "American album certifications – Heart – Bebe le Strange". Recording Industry Association of America. May 5, 1980. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Bebe le Strange [Expanded] – Heart". AllMusic. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ Jurek, Thom. "Bebe le Strange – Heart". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Reviews: Heart". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
^ Horning, Rob (August 9, 2004). "Heart: Little Queen / Dog & Butterfly / Bebe Le Strange (reissue)". PopMatters. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ Carson, Tom (May 1, 1980). "Heart: Bebe Le Strange : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
^ Coleman, Mark; Berger, Arion (2004). "Heart". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 372. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 26, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
^ Bébé le Strange (liner notes). Heart. Epic Records. 1980. FE 36371.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 136. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0149a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
^ "Charts.nz – Heart – Bebe le Strange". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1980". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Heart – Bebe le Strange". Music Canada. July 1, 1980. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

v t e Heart
Ann Wilson Nancy Wilson Steve Fossen Roger Fisher Howard Leese Mark Andes Denny Carmassi Fernando Saunders Scott Olson Mike Inez Darian Sahanaja Gilby Clarke
Studio albums	Dreamboat Annie Magazine Little Queen Dog & Butterfly Bébé le Strange Private Audition Passionworks Heart Bad Animals Brigade Desire Walks On Heart Presents a Lovemongers' Christmas Jupiters Darling Red Velvet Car Fanatic Beautiful Broken
Live albums	Greatest Hits/Live Rock the House Live! The Road Home Alive in Seattle Dreamboat Annie Live Live in Atlantic City
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits/Live These Dreams: Greatest Hits Greatest Hits Greatest Hits: 1985–1995 The Essential Heart Love Alive Love Songs Strange Euphoria
Singles	"Magic Man" "Crazy on You" "Dreamboat Annie" "Barracuda" "Little Queen" "Kick It Out" "Heartless" "Straight On" "Dog & Butterfly" "Without You" "Even It Up" "Bebe le Strange" "Tell It Like It Is" "Unchained Melody" "This Man Is Mine" "City's Burning" "How Can I Refuse?" "Allies" "What About Love" "Never" "These Dreams" "Nothin' at All" "If Looks Could Kill" "Alone" "Who Will You Run To" "There's the Girl" "I Want You So Bad" "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" "I Didn't Want to Need You" "Stranded" "Secret" "You're the Voice" "Black on Black II" "Will You Be There (In the Morning)" "The Woman in Me" "Stairway to Heaven" "All Through the Night"
Related articles	Discography List of band members Whirlygig Hope & Glory
Category

This page was last edited on 19 January 2024, at 20:04

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