"Heat of the Moment" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Asia | ||||
from the album Asia | ||||
B-side |
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Released | April 1982 (US) June 1982 (UK) [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:50 (commercial 45 and album version) 3:25 (DJ single version) | |||
Label | Geffen | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Wetton, Geoff Downes | |||
Producer(s) | Mike Stone | |||
Asia singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio | ||||
"Heat of the Moment" on YouTube |
"Heat of the Moment" is the first single released by English progressive rock supergroup Asia from their 1982 eponymous debut album. It was written by singer and bass guitarist John Wetton and keyboardist Geoff Downes. It was named by Lee Zimmerman of Paste as Asia's signature song. [4]
Singer John Wetton said,
The lyrics are an abject apology for my dreadful behavior towards a particular woman (the woman I would eventually marry, but divorce 10 years later), the chorus began its life as a 6/8 country song, but when Geoff and I started writing together, we moved the time signatures around, and "Heat of the Moment" emerged. No-one else particularly "got" the song, and it was the last song to be recorded for the album. This was the case with the next two albums (that the last song recorded was to be the first single—I think it's because Geoff and I are very, very focused by the end of recording) with "Don't Cry" and "Go". [5]
"Time Again" is the B-side of the U.K. release. The song was written by all the band members, Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton, and can also be found on the Asia album.
"Ride Easy" is the B-side of the singles released outside of the United Kingdom. This song was written by Wetton and Howe. It was never given a regular release on a studio album, but it was included in the EP Aurora (1986), released only in Japan. It was released on CD on The Very Best of Asia: Heat of the Moment (1982-1990) (2000).
"Heat of the Moment" was the last song recorded for the album. John Kalodner of Geffen asked the band for a single: Wetton had an idea for the chorus and Downes had an idea that made the verse and they wrote the song in an afternoon. The line "You catch a pearl and ride the dragon's wings" was inspired by Roger Dean's artwork for the album. [6]
Howe overdubbed his Gibson Les Paul Junior playing the rhythm guitar power chords in the verses seven times, each through a different amplifier, to get the "grungy" sound he wanted. During the song's middle eight, he doubled Downes' synth lick with a koto. [7]
Billboard said that "this superstar quartet aims its soaring harmonies and tight arrangement at pop and beyond." [2]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Heat of the Moment" | 3:50 |
2. | "Ride Easy" | 4:35 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Heat of the Moment" | 3:50 |
2. | "Time Again" | 4:45 |
"Heat of the Moment" reached #4 in both the Canadian Singles chart and on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single climbed to the top position on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, achieving six non-consecutive weeks at #1 in the spring and summer of 1982. [8] [9] [10]
Chart (1982) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Singles (Kent Music Report) [11] | 26 |
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [12] | 4 |
French Singles (SNEP) [13] | 39 |
Ireland (IRMA) [14] | 30 |
Italian Singles Chart [15] | 89 |
Japanese Singles (Oricon) [16] | 90 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [17] | 33 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [18] | 46 |
Polish Singles Chart [19] | 6 |
Radio Luxemburg Singles [20] | 26 |
South African Singles Chart [21] | 4 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [22] | 2 |
UK Singles (OCC) [23] | 46 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [24] | 4 |
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [25] | 1 |
West Germany (Official German Charts) [26] | 7 |
Chart (1982) | Position |
---|---|
Canadian RPM Top Singles [27] | 47 |
German Media Control Charts [28] | 55 |
Italian Singles Chart [29] | 89 |
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard) [30] | 40 |
U.S. Cashbox Top 100 [31] | 43 |
Asia are an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1981. The most commercially successful lineup was its original, which consisted of four members of different progressive rock bands who had enjoyed great success in the 1970s: lead vocalist and bassist John Wetton, guitarist Steve Howe (Yes), keyboardist Geoff Downes and drummer Carl Palmer. Their debut album, Asia, released in 1982, remains their best-selling album and went to number one in several countries. Billboard listed it as the top album in the U.S. in 1982. The lead single from the album, "Heat of the Moment", remains their top charting and best-known song, reaching the top 40 in over a dozen markets. It peaked at #4 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
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