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"Headed for a Heartbreak"
Single by Winger
from the album Winger
B-side	"State of Emergency"
Released	May 1989
Genre	Glam metal
Length	5:10
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Kip Winger
Producer(s)	Beau Hill
Winger singles chronology
"Seventeen" (1988) "Headed for a Heartbreak" (1989) "Hungry" (1989)

"Headed for a Heartbreak" is a single by American glam metal band Winger from their self-titled debut album Winger. Released in May 1989, the power ballad reached #19 on the US Hot 100 and #8 on the US Mainstream Rock chart. The B-side to the single was "State of Emergency".

The music video for "Headed for a Heartbreak" was directed by Mark Rezyka and edited by Scott C. Wilson.

The song's riff was sampled in the song, "Ground Zero" by The Diplomats, from the album, Diplomatic Immunity.

Background

Singer Kip Winger was fooling around with his keyboard at the end of a day in the studio, and came up with the riff, which is in D Lydian mode. He jammed on the riff a little bit, and "it was just one of those things that happened magically. ... A lot of times I'll sit down and the shit will just drop into my hands and I don't even think about it. That was one of those songs." He added, "Once I figured out what I had, I rotated the bass notes around the common tones of the right hand on the keyboard stuff, so there was some music theory at play in that song, at the end of it. But basically the riff just fell onto me by accident."

Winger said that for him, the song "exemplifies the band the most because of the way Rod drums and Reb's solo. It's in Lydian and it's more out in the zone of where we all come from."

Charts

References

1. Maloof, Rich (2006). Shred! : the ultimate guide to warp-speed guitar. Pete Prown. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-877-X. OCLC 65197948.
2. Iwasaki, Scott (February 23, 2007). "Winger's musical roots go back a long way". Deseret News. Retrieved April 13, 2021. The band had its pop-metal run of success with hits "Madalaine," "Seventeen," "Headed for a Heartbreak" and "Hungry."
3. ^ Wiser, Carl (July 21, 2014). "Kip Winger : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
4. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6421." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
5. "Winger Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
6. "Winger Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved July 4, 2023.

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• 1989 singles
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• Glam metal ballads
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• Songs written by Kip Winger
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