Heat of the Moment (Asia song)

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This article is about the song by Asia. For the song by After 7, see Heat of the Moment (After 7 song).
"Heat of the Moment"
Asia Heat of the Moment single cover.jpg
Cover of the European single
Single by Asia
from the album Asia
B-side
  • "Time Again" (UK)
  • "Ride Easy" (outside of UK)
ReleasedApril 1982
GenreRock
Length3:50 (album version)
3:25 (single version)
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)John Wetton, Geoff Downes
Producer(s)Mike Stone
Asia singles chronology
"Heat of the Moment"
(1982) 		"Here Comes the Feeling"
(1982)
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.[1]

Background[]

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”.[2]

B-sides[]

"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).

Development[]

"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.[3]

Track listing[]

US 7" single
No.TitleLength
1."Heat of the Moment"3:50
2."Ride Easy"4:35
UK 7" single
No.TitleLength
1."Heat of the Moment"3:50
2."Time Again"4:45

Personnel[]

Chart performance[]

"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.[4][5][6]

In popular culture[]

References[]

  1. ^ "The 10 Best Songs by John Wetton". pastemagazine.com. 7 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Interview with John Wetton of the rock band Asia". Kickin' it Old School. May 1, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  3. ^ Roger Dean and Geoff Downes in conversation, Roger Dean YouTube channel
  4. ^ "List of number-one mainstream rock hits". wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 2013-08-26. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8 ed.). Billboard Publications. p. 35.
  6. ^ "allmusic ((( Asia > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  7. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ^ "RPM Volume 36 No. 17, June 05 1982 - RPM". Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  9. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40, week 24, 1982 (in Dutch)". Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  10. ^ "InfoDisc : Bilan des Ventes par Artiste". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  11. ^ "charts.de - Asia - Heat Of The Moment (in German)". Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  12. ^ "irishcharts.ie search results". Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  13. ^ "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: A". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  14. ^ Steffen Hung. "Asia - Heat Of The Moment". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  15. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-12-13. Retrieved 2012-05-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ "Ultimate Music Database". Umdmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  17. ^ Brian Currin. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (A)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  18. ^ "Asia - Heat Of The Moment - hitparade.ch (in German)". Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  19. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Asia - Heat Of The Moment". Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b "Asia Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  21. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2013-07-23. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  22. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche CHARTS TOP 100 SINGLE-JAHRESCHARTS". offiziellecharts.de/. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  23. ^ "Hit Parade Italia - Top Annuali Single: 1982". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  24. ^ "Talent in Action : Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 94 (51): TIA-20. December 25, 1982.
  25. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2012-06-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. ^ "Supernatural's "Heat Of The Moment" Loop Is A Perfect Groundhog Day Parody". ScreenRant. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  27. ^ "Bill Simmons: Cancel Culture Prevented Jim Nantz From Making A Cheap Racist Quip About Hideki Matsuyama, And That's A Shame". The Defector. 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-13.

External links[]

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