Edge of a Broken Heart

The song Edge of a Broken Heart by Vixen is a quintessential 1980s power ballad, co-written by Richard Marx and Fee Waybill of The Tubes. In a 2021 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Marx shared that he wrote the song quickly in a hotel room during a tour break, driven by a tight deadline from his then-manager Allen Kovac, who also managed Vixen. Marx, who produced the track and played keyboards, noted that Michael Landau, not Vixen’s lead guitarist Jan Kuehnemund, performed the lead guitar, as revealed in his memoir Stories to Tell. The song’s music video, featuring a cameo by Marx, gained heavy rotation on MTV, boosting its chart performance to No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Another layer to the song’s story comes from Fee Waybill’s perspective. In a Songfacts interview, Waybill mentioned that he and Marx wrote another song for Vixen’s next album, but the band rejected it, preferring to pen their own material. Waybill quipped, “That was the last you ever heard of Vixen,” reflecting the band’s struggle to maintain momentum after their debut. A 2018 post by Marx on X reminisced about recording the song with Vixen’s lead singer Janet Gardner, highlighting the collaborative energy in the studio. In 2018, Vixen released an acoustic version of the song on their Live Fire album, showing its enduring appeal.

Vixen, an all-female glam metal band, formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1973. Initially a local act, they relocated to Los Angeles in the early 1980s to immerse themselves in the burgeoning hair metal scene. The band’s classic lineup—Jan Kuehnemund (lead guitar), Janet Gardner (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Share Ross (bass), and Roxy Petrucci (drums)—solidified by 1987. Their big break came when they signed with EMI Manhattan in 1988, leading to their self-titled debut album, which included Edge of a Broken Heart. Vixen’s early years were marked by relentless gigging and lineup changes, with an early iteration featuring Steve Vai’s wife, Pia Maiocco, on bass. Their appearance in the 1984 film Hardbodies as the band “Diaper Rash” and a 1987 interview in Penelope Spheeris’ documentary The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years helped build their reputation.

Vixen’s music and image, often compared to a “female Bon Jovi,” resonated with the 1980s hair metal audience, blending slick power pop with big hair and bold makeup. Despite their debut album reaching No. 41 on the Billboard 200 and achieving gold status, internal creative differences and the decline of hair metal led to their breakup in 1992. The band reformed multiple times, with Gardner leaving in 2019 to focus on her solo career. Vixen’s official online presence includes their website, Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts, where they share updates and engage with fans. Fan communities thrive on platforms like the Vixen Fan Club on Facebook, where enthusiasts discuss the band’s legacy and share memorabilia. The r/hairmetal subreddit also frequently celebrates Vixen’s contributions to the genre.