Songfacts®:

• "Bebe Le Strange" is a character Heart created, a rock star overflowing with animal magnetism. It's no coincidence that the frontwomen of Heart - Ann and Nancy Wilson - bear a resemblance. Ann told Sounds that Bebe is a bit like Elton John or Mick Jagger. "She's a kind of mutated rock and roll creature," she said. "That's what I consider myself."
• This is the title track to the first Heart album without guitarist Roger Fisher and his brother Mike, a soundman for the group. The Fishers were romantically involved with the Wilsons - Mike with Ann, Roger with Nancy. Plenty of drama, to be sure, but those expecting breakup songs were surprised to hear a straight-on rock record. Instead of deconstructing their romantic entanglements, they drew on this next generation for inspiration on Bebe Le Strange.
• By this time, the Wilson sisters had received lots of letters from young women calling them rock and roll role models. In one of these letters, the fan explained that they needed a cool alter ego because "Ann and Nancy Wilson" sounded rather plain. From that, Bebe Le Strange was born. She's their Ziggy Stardust, in a way.
• This song was written before guitarist Roger Fisher left the band, and he has a writing credit on the track along with the Wilson sisters and an outsider: Sue Ennis, a friend from high school who helped them out with songwriting from time to time. Ennis also has credits on "Dog & Butterfly" and "Straight On."
  
  Ann, Nancy, and Sue wrote "Bebe Le Strange" by secluding themselves at a place in Oregon, where they unplugged the phone and focused on music.
• "Bebe le Strange" was the second single from the album, following "Even It Up." It wasn't a big hit but it did find a place in Heart's setlists for many years. The album went Platinum but didn't sell nearly as well as their first four. The next two Heart albums, Private Audition (1982) and Passionworks (1983), were disappointments, but they staged a mighty comeback with their 1985 album Heart, which got them on MTV and introduced them to a new generation thanks to tracks like "These Dreams" and "Never."