VMP Magazine

“Owner of a Lonely Heart,” Yes’s only No. 1 hit, stampeded the zeitgeist in 1983, and it lives on to this day thanks to radio stations boasting their ability to play work-friendly tunes. You’ve probably heard it at least once in the last six months: on an elevator, in your dentist’s office, in an Applebee’s bathroom. Clocking in at a measly three minutes and fifty-seven seconds in the single version, this song is a distant cousin of the band’s early work. By the time the hit was released, Yes had been around for 15 years, had released 10 albums, and had exchanged more than two-thirds of its original members. 90125, the album on which “Owner of a Lonely Heart” appeared, was an aggressive push for mainstream success, and consequently turned Yes into an entirely different band. In fact, Yes’s guiding principle has been evolution.

The 50 Best Record Stores In America is an essay series where we attempt to find the best record store in every state. These aren’t necessarily the record stores with the best prices or the deepest selection; you can use Yelp for that. Each record store featured has a story that goes beyond what’s on its shelves; these stores have history, foster a sense of community and mean something to the people who frequent them.