Heart’s Nancy Wilson has written new lyrics paying tribute to the band’s early associate. Mike Fisher, who passed away in August.
The guitarist shared the lyrics on her new Something Good blog, which is sent to fans via email. Though the dispatch doesn’t share a title or information on when they were written, Wilson confirmed to UCR via an official representative in email that she’d recently penned the lyrics to honor Fisher.
He was an important part of the Heart story going back to the early days of the group, when his younger brother, guitarist Roger Fisher, cofounded The Army in 1963 with bassist Steve Fossen. They went through different names including White Heart and Hocus Pocus, eventually adopting the Heart moniker permanently. Both Fisher brothers also became romantically involved with the Wilson sisters, Mike with Ann and Roger, with Nancy.
What Was Fisher’s Role With Heart?
The older Fisher was credited with various jobs in the Heart organization in the ’70s and he’s been called their manager. But by his own telling, he seemed to be a jack of all trades, happy to give support wherever and however it was needed. Though he briefly played drums in The Army, he moved to more of a behind-the-scenes role with Heart, eventually traveling and running sound for the group, something he continued to do into the later part of the ’70s.
“I never aspired to be a label in the music industry. I just had this vision for what those people could become and I was totally fired up and passionate about it,” he shared in a 2013 interview. “We all were for a long time. So to realize that dream was really incredible.”
His impact on Heart’s legacy would be commemorated in one way, when Ann Wilson wrote “Magic Man” about him. But as Nancy shares in her story below, his advice and guidance was key and Fisher’s “sharp business brain” proved to be invaluable. He was, she shared, the “perfect catalyst” for the young group as they were working to find their way in the music business.
Watch Heart Perform ‘Magic Man’ on the ‘Midnight Special’
Nancy’s Tribute to Mike Fisher
“When we were a baby band in Vancouver, Ann wrote the words for ‘Magic Man.’ It’s the story of a girl leaving home and her mother for the first time for the man who cast a spell of love over her,” she writes. “Turns out it’s still a very universal story for many girls who leave home for the love of a man. Sometimes for better.”
“In our case it was very much for the better because her ‘Magic Man,’ Mike Fisher, was the perfect catalyst for instigating and navigating with his sharp business brain to help our band get a foothold and a good start in the business of rock,” Wilson explains. “He was a real task master in the best possible way and even designed the classic Heart logo that is still the best of them all to this day.”
“Recently his brother Roger Fisher let us know that sadly, Mike was in rapid decline suffering from pancreatic cancer,” she recalls. “I thought it would be a good thing for Mike to hear a voicemail where I could say thank you, for all the great things he did for the legacy of Heart and how it still is so vital and meaningful in rock history to this day. So I did.”
“I heard back how much he loved and appreciated hearing that. It meant really a lot to him,” Wilson says. “He was able to clear away any old hard feelings from the past. He left us too soon and I thought of a song to honor him. Here’s the words.”
I can see your eyes
Oh brother brother
I can see your eyes
Searching through our time
Oh brother brother
I can see your eyes
They tell me
They tell me all is not lost
A story
A victory over darkness we shall prevail
Swinging the world by the tail
Angel
Angel
I can hear your laugh
Oh brother brother
I can hear your laugh
Present and the past
Oh brother brother
I can hear your laugh
The river
Forever dance to the sea
Remember
We sing your song
Always telling your magical tale
Sipping on the holy grail
Angel
Angel
Sipping on the holy grail
Swinging the world by the tale
Angel
Angel
Heart is celebrating their 50th anniversary with additional shows on the ongoing Royal Flush tour in 2026. Wilson is also set to appear at this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony where longtime friends Soundgarden are being inducted. The band will finish the current year with tour dates that start Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.
READ MORE: The Most and Least-Played Song Live Off Every Heart Album
Heart Albums Ranked
This list of Heart Albums, Ranked Worst To Best, wasn’t an easy one to compile, because unlike many long-running groups, the band has never made a bad record.
Gallery Credit: Annie Zaleski
