6th Avenue Heartache

6th Avenue Heartache

"6th Avenue Heartache" is a song by the band The Wallflowers, and was the first single from their 1996 album Bringing Down the Horse. The single was released in summer 1996, and became their first hit, peaking at #8 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, #10 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and #33 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. Though the song was a hit on rock radio, it was overshadowed by its follow-up single, "One Headlight."

Jakob Dylan, the band's lead singer, wrote the song when he was eighteen years old, and considers it the first real song he had written. It was meant to go on their self-titled first album, but the record company would not allow it. The lyrics are based on Dylan's own experiences while living in New York, in particular the story of a homeless man who would sit outside his 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 from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers played the slide guitar on the song, though he recorded the track in his own studio, and never even met the band members. Adam Duritz from Counting Crows contributed backing vocals. The video, shot in New York, was directed by movie director David Fincher, known for such films as Se7en and Fight Club.

Although New York City is the setting for 6th Avenue Heartache, the song is also notable as the song played following an Atlanta Braves home loss, first at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium during the 1996 World Series against the New York Yankees and presently at Turner Field.