Since its 1980 release, Heart's Silver Wheels has become a benchmark for acoustic guitarists to master. Nancy Wilson, the guitarist behind the now-iconic instrumental intro, has revealed what motivated her to compose the track.
“When I wrote the guitar intro to Crazy On You, called Silver Wheels, I was just going for something like Yes, who used to have acoustic guitar intros to epic songs,” says Wilson in the latest issue of Total Guitar.
“I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll prove myself. I’m not a guy, so if I prove myself a little bit harder, then I might be noticed and taken seriously as a player’. Stuff like that actually brings respect when you can show that you’re an accomplished musician, and not just an ornament on a stage.”
Wilson explains how everyday sexism in the music industry fueled Heart even further and drove her to push the boundaries of her playing. “People were like, ‘Women aren’t really supposed to do that! You’re supposed to be an ornament, and be seen but not heard.'
“A lot of people were like, ‘Oh, it’s just not ladylike!’ A common question was, ‘How do you possibly maintain your femininity?’ I was like, ‘Maybe just be myself?’ People said all the time: ‘You’ll ruin your fingernails!’ It did of course, but I didn’t care about my fingernails.”
Silver Wheels has experienced a renaissance thanks to social media. “Everybody and his brother always tries to play it on Instagram,” says Wilson. “Everybody plays it slightly differently. I never play it the same twice. But it’s a cool kind of cultural phenomenon that guitar players always try that little acoustic intro.”
Heart are currently in the midst of their first North American tour in five years. This will be followed by a UK tour, with their largest-ever UK headline show taking place on July 1 at London's O2 Arena.
For more Nancy Wilson, plus new interviews with St. Vincent and Slash, pick up issue 384 of Total Guitar at Magazines Direct.
