When I first heard Philadelphia hard rockers Cinderella, I was blown away. There was something about this band that had them sticking out from the pack. Cinderella came out when bands like Poison, Warrant, and Winger were breaking in, but Cinderella was a different band. Cinderella could cover many different bases. Sleazy hard rockers, melancholic/gothic style slow songs, and beautiful piano ballads were what made up much of Cinderella’s first two albums. Still, there was one element that tied everything together: the blues.
Lead vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Tom Keifer was never one to hide his blues influence. The debut album Night Songs had a smidge of blues influence, but their sophomore release, Long Cold Winter, is where the blues made its presence known loud and clear. Long Cold Winter produced some big hits for the band, such as “Gypsy Road,” “The Last Mile,” and “Don’t Know What You Got ‘Til It’s Gone,” and the album as a whole had the band graduating from opening act to arena headliners. As a young fan, I loved the direction Cinderella took with Long Cold Winter, and I hoped that they would grow even more of this sound.
The blues sound is such a natural sound, but not just anyone can pull off playing the blues, especially if you are a hard rock band. Cinderella as a band all had roots in the blues, so it seemed like a natural progression to their third album Heartbreak Station. Thirty years ago this year, Heartbreak Station was released and spawned a hit single and video for the kick-off single, “Shelter Me.” Listening to this album 30 years later, I feel as excitedly moved as I was when I was 16 hearing the album the day it was released.
Heartbreak Station wasn’t the megahit album that Long Cold Winter was. Long Cold Winter sold a whopping 3 million albums. While Heartbreak Station did better than most bands ever could by selling a million albums, the album’s critical reception wasn’t super welcoming. The reviews for Heartbreak Station were all over the place, but for the most part, critics thought that the band was trying too hard, and even some went on to say that Heartbreak Station was just a mirror image of other bands in the genre they were lumped into such as Motley Crue and Warrant.
Back in the day (and even now), many critics write reviews without even listening to an album. Some may review the album after 30 seconds of the first song, and some may even base their review on just what they think they know about a particular band. As a music fan and as a Cinderella fan, I couldn’t give a fuck about what anyone had to say. In my opinion, this album was not just Cinderella’s best album to this point, but it was easily one of the best of their genre.
Lyrically, the songs were quite a bit more matured. Gone were “Shake Me” and “Push Push,” and here were songs like “The More Things Change” “Love’s Got Me Doing Time” with a more mature sound both lyrically and musically. The album’s title track, in my opinion, is where it all came together. While it was considered a ballad, it wasn’t cheesy or corny. The lyrics were heartfelt, earnest, and sincere and coupled with music that breaks my heart just a tiny bit every time I hear it, “Heartbreak Station” is one of the most honest moments in hard rock. Let me also point out the fantastic string arrangement put together by none other than legendary Led Zeppelin multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones.
“Sick For The Cure” is a fun, boogie-woogie ode to following your dreams, “Dead Man’s Road” is a modernized blues/country “sell your soul” type of haunting song reminiscent of Jon Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory” (but 1,000 times better), and “One For Rock N’ Roll” is an acoustic tribute to rock n’ roll. A tribute to rock n’ roll. This can be a cheesy fucking thing to do if you aren’t careful. I mean, how can a tribute to rock n’ roll not be corny? Well, Cinderella pulled it off with honesty, sincerity, and lots of heart. It’s a fun, foot-stomping tune, and how many other hard rock bands have songs that you can play while sitting around a campfire or at a coffeehouse performance?
Heartbreak Station closes out with three stellar tracks. The dark, haunting groove of “Electric Love,” the rocking “Love Gone Bad,” and closing the album out is the beautifully orchestrated acoustic-based “Winds of Change.” Listening to this song reminded me a lot of Led Zeppelin. The arrangement was reminiscent of “Going to California” meets “The Rain Song.” That’s probably because, once again, the string arrangement was written by John Paul Jones. What a perfect and classy way to close out such an incredible album.
Thirty years later, Heartbreak Station has stood the test of time, and it sounds timeless. Heartbreak Station is the album that I wanted Cinderella to make. It was the album that Cinderella wanted and needed to make. While it may not have hugely successful, it is the band’s most significant piece of work and one of the greatest of the era. Heartbreak Station is so multi-faceted, and there is something for everyone on this album.
Truly great roots-based rock n’ roll never gets old. It never gets stale, and it never sounds dated. Heartbreak Station is a huge part of my life’s soundtrack, and this album will always take me back as well as carry me forward. Heartbreak Station is like an old friend. No matter how long it’s been since you last visited, when you do, it’s like no time has passed. Cinderella’s Heartbreak Station sounds as good if not better than it did 30 years ago, and it will sound just as good if not better in another 30 years.
Happy Birthday, Heartbreak Station. Thirty looks (and sounds) good on you!
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