Classic Rock Legend Says It’s ‘More Embarrassing’ Than Ever to Be an American: Nancy Wilson Speaks Out

Nancy Wilson, singer and guitarist of Heart, is not feeling very patriotic lately.

While speaking with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the singer pondered on how the lyrics to her 1975 hit “Crazy on You” were written in response to the embarrassment she felt to be from the USA during the time of the Vietnam War—and how she feels even worse today.

“We were kind of embarrassed at that time to call ourselves American because of the dirty politics of the Vietnam War,” she said. She noted lyrics from the song like “No way to breathe easy” and “So afraid of someone who’s so afraid of you.”

“To be as subtle as possible, it’s more embarrassing [to be an American] now,” she said.

She went in-depth on the meaning of the band’s classic hit “Barracuda,” saying that the song was about “a real sleazeball with a satin jacket” who “wanted to make more money out of the sexy chicks in Heart” during the band’s career. She noted the track was even more relevant today, given the “salacious billionaire culture with the ‘grab them by the p-ssy’ mentality,” referencing Donald Trump’s infamous 2005 quote.

“I think for women in the culture the pendulum will come back again, and there’ll be another renaissance in the arts to push back against the oppression of the cranky old rich white guys,” Wilson said. “I hope I am alive to see that next revolution.”

Heart is currently on their Royal Flush Tour, which is traveling all across North America. Their next show is April 16 in New York City.