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Heat Wave (1963 song)

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"Heat Wave"
Song

"(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" is a 1963 soul single by Holland-Dozier-Holland made popular by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas on the Gordy (Motown) label and later by country rock vocalist Linda Ronstadt from her album Prisoner in Disguise.

The song was one of several tunes written and produced by the fabled Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting and producing team. "Heat Wave" was the second hit collaboration between the Vandellas and H-D-H, the first being "Come and Get These Memories". The lyrics feature the narrator singing about a guy that has her heart "burning with desire" and "going insane" over the feeling of his love.

Produced and composed with a gospel backbeat, jazz overtones and, doo-wop call and responsive vocals, "Heat Wave" was one of the first songs to exemplify the style of music later termed as being the "Motown Sound". The single was a breakthrough hit, peaking at number four on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart, and at number-one on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart. It also garnered the group's only Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for 1964.

"Heat Wave's" success helped popularize both Martha and the Vandellas and Holland-Dozier-Holland, and cemented Motown as a musical force. The song has since been covered by several acts, including labelmate The Supremes (on their 1967 album The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland), The Jam (on their 1979 album Setting Sons), The Who in their early concerts and on their second album, A Quick One, Joan Osbourne (her version done for the Funk Brothers documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown), country rock singer Linda Ronstadt, and rocker Bruce Springsteen. The song was also covered by Whoopi Goldberg in the film Sister Act. It is also featured at the beginning of the film Backdraft.

Credits

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