Earlier in the year we were promised a dramatic heatwave during August, this however like the benefits of Brexit proved to be illusory. For those of us who feel cheated out of our hot summer, I have selected some some songs about heatwaves and the like.
“Too Darn Hot” is a song written by Cole Porter for his musical Kiss Me Kate (1948). In the stage version, it is sung at the start of Act 2, and in the 1948 original Broadway production, it was sung by Lorenzo Fuller (as Paul) and Eddie Sledge and Fred Davis (as the specialty dancers), leading the full company. In the 1953 film version, it is moved to a much earlier point, and it is sung by Ann Miller (as Lois Lane, Fred’s new girlfriend, who is cast as Bianca). The song does not contribute to the plot in either the stage or film versions; in the stage version, the song represents the company of The Taming of the Shrew taking a break offstage during the intermission of their play; in the film version it allowed the audience to see Lois’s fun-loving, risk-taking nature, and gave Ann Miller a chance to show off her dancing skills, specifically tap.
“Heat Wave” is a 1963 song written by the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team. It was first made popular by the Motown vocal group Martha and the Vandellas. Released as a 45 rpm single in July 1963, on the Motown subsidiary Gordy label, it hit No. 1 on the R&B chart—where it stayed for four weeks—and peaking at number 4 on the Billboard.
“In the Heat of the Night” is a 1967 song performed by Ray Charles, composed by Quincy Jones, and written by Marilyn and Alan Bergman for the film In The Heat of the Night. As Matthew Greenwald of All Music states, the song “opens the film and accompanying soundtrack with a slice of real, rural backwoods gospel. Lyrically, one of the key lines is ‘In the heat of the night/I’m feeling motherless somehow,’ which clearly illustrates the main character’s dilemma of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The main melody is guided by Charles’ funky piano work and is buttressed by then-session ace Billy Preston’s powerful, soulful organ trills. The underlying sense of drama that is so much a part of the film is reflected perfectly in this song. It’s perfect listening for a midsummer night when the temperature is just a bit too hot for comfort.
“Hot Blooded” is a song by the British-American rock band Foreigner, from their second studio album Double Vision. It was released as a single in June 1978 and reached #3 on the Billboard chart that September. The single was also certified Platinum (one million units sold) by the RIAA. It is also the theme song to the truTV scripted series Tacoma FD.
“Hot in the City” is a 1982 song by Billy Idol, released on his self titled album. It charted at No. 23 in the US and No. 58 in the UK. A remix of the song in the UK in 1987 reached No. 13.
“The Heat Is On” is a song written by Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey, and recorded by Glenn Frey for the film Beverley Hills Cop (1984). The song became a major hit single, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard chart in March 1985. The video for the song received heavy MTV airplay. It showed a film editor assembling scenes for Beverly Hills Cop while Frey and a band played the song in the adjacent room, with action scenes from the movie then directly interspersed. Among the musicians shown in the video is saxophone player Beverly Dahlke-Smith (the actual recording being made by session horn player David Woodford) and Frey’s long-time drummer, Michael Huey.
“Some Like It Hot” is a song recorded by the Power Station. It was the first single released from the group’s 1985 eponymous debut album. Released by Parlophone Records in 1985, the song features loud, prominent drum beats from Tony Thompson and lead vocals from Robert Palmer. The video featured model Caroline Cossey (also known as Tula)
