| "6th Avenue Heartache" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bythe Wallflowers | ||||
| from the albumBringing Down the Horse | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | April 23, 1996 (1996-04-23)[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:37 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Songwriter | Jakob Dylan | |||
| Producer | T-Bone Burnett | |||
| The Wallflowers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "6th Avenue Heartache" onYouTube | ||||
"6th Avenue Heartache" is a song by the American rock bandthe Wallflowers. The background vocals in this song were performed byAdam Duritz fromCounting Crows. It was released in April 1996 as the lead single from their second album,Bringing Down the Horse. The song became their first hit, peaking at No. 8 on the USBillboardModern Rock Tracks chart, No. 33 on theBillboardHot 100 Airplay chart, and No. 2 on theBillboardTriple-A chart—it was the most-played song ontriple-A radio in 1996. "6th Avenue Heartache" was nominated forBest Rock Song andBest Rock Performance at the39th Annual Grammy Awards.[3]
Jakob Dylan, the band's lead singer, wrote the song when he was 18 years old and considers it the first real song he had written. It was intended to appear on the band's self-titledfirst album, but their label at the time,Virgin Records, would not allow it. The lyrics are based on Dylan's own experiences while living inNew York City, in particular the story of ahomeless man who would sit outside Dylan's window and play the same songs every day. One day, the man was gone, but his things were still there, until gradually people started taking them.Mike Campbell fromTom Petty and the Heartbreakers played theslide guitar on the song, though he recorded the track in his own studio and never even met the band members.
The video, shot in New York, was directed by movie directorDavid Fincher, known for such films asSe7en andFight Club. There is a slight error in the video: Rama's Cafe, portrayed as a meeting place for the band, was actually on 2815th Avenue, not6th Avenue. The building was eventually demolished, and an apartment building has since taken its place.[4]
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It was featured during theFriendsseason 4 episode "The One with the Fake Party".[15]
It was featured in theCold Caseseason 2 episode "Revenge".[16]
The Wallflowers performed "6th Avenue Heartache" onThe Late Show with David Letterman in 1996.[17]
In 2012, the Wallflowers reunited to perform the song as part of Letterman's online concert seriesLive on Letterman.[18]
