Heat Wave

E852194

"Heat Wave" is a 1963 Motown hit song by Martha and the Vandellas, celebrated as one of the defining tracks of the early soul and R&B era.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Heat Wave canonical 14

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf single
song
artist Martha and the Vandellas
associatedAct The Four Tops
The Supremes
associatedMovement Motown sound
linked to: Motown
award Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording
backgroundVocalists Annette Beard
Rosalind Ashford
backingBand The Funk Brothers
bSide A Love Like Yours (Don’t Come Knocking Every Day)
chartPerformance US Billboard Hot 100 number 4
US Billboard R&B number 1
countryOfOrigin United States
criticalReception widely acclaimed classic of soul music
describedAs defining track of early soul and R&B era
era early 1960s
genre Motown
R&B
soul
hasCoverVersionBy Linda Ronstadt
Phil Collins
The Who
includedIn album Heat Wave (Martha and the Vandellas album)
influenced later soul and R&B dance records
language English
leadVocalist Martha Reeves
notableFor signature song of Martha and the Vandellas
up‑tempo gospel‑influenced vocal style
originalMedium 7-inch vinyl single
performer Martha and the Vandellas
producer Holland–Dozier–Holland
publisher Jobete Music
rankedOnList Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
recordedIn Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A), Detroit
recordLabel Gordy
Motown Records
linked to: Motown
releaseDate 1963-07-09
releaseYear 1963
side A-side
songwriter Brian Holland
Eddie Holland
Lamont Dozier
tempo up-tempo
theme intense romantic passion
usesMetaphor heat wave as metaphor for love
vocalStyle call-and-response
writer Holland–Dozier–Holland

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (14)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.