The Heat Is On (Glenn Frey song)

For other uses, see The Heat Is On.
"The Heat Is On"
Single by Glenn Frey
from the album Beverly Hills Cop: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
B-side"Shoot Out" by Harold Faltermeyer
ReleasedNovember 1984
Genre
Length
  • 3:45 (7-inch and album)
  • 5:51 (12-inch)
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Glenn Frey singles chronology
"Sexy Girl"
(1984) 		"The Heat Is On"
(1984) 		"Smuggler's Blues"
(1984)
Official video
"The Heat Is On" (From Beverly Hills Cop Soundtrack) on YouTube

"The Heat Is On" is a song written by Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey, and recorded by Glenn Frey for the American film Beverly Hills Cop (1984). The song was published as a single and as the sixth track of the album Beverly Hills Cop: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1984).

History

According to Frey, he was invited to an early screening of the film, and about two months later was sent a demo of a song written by Keith Forsey and Harold Faltermeyer to be used in the film to see if he was interested in singing the song. Frey agreed, and recorded the vocal part in one day. The following day he played the guitar and recorded the background vocals, and was paid $15,000 for the work.[1]

The mid-to-up-tempo recording featured a steady drumbeat, synthesizer, and guitar, with a repeated saxophone riff framing the lyrical message. The guitar solo is played by Frey himself.[2]

Cash Box called it "a hard rocking outing featuring the distinctive vocals of ex-Eagle Frey" and added that it contains "a signature horn riff and some effective dynamics."[3] Billboard said it "features a bustling rock 'n' roll beat, electric organ (or equivalent) and a wailing sax."[4]

The song became a major hit single, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1985, behind "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon.[5] It was also popular internationally, reaching No. 2 on the Australian Singles Chart in 1985 and gaining peaks of No. 8 on the Canadian Singles Chart and No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart.[6] In the United States, it is the highest charting solo single by any member of the Eagles.

The music 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[7]) and Frey's long-time drummer, Michael Huey.

The recording subsequently appeared on Frey's albums Glenn Frey Live (1993) and Solo Collection (1995) as well as on some various-artists "top hits" collections.

The St. Louis Cardinals did a remix of this song when they went to the World Series in 1985 to face the Kansas City Royals.[8]

Track listing

7" single
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Heat Is On"Keith Forsey, Harold Faltermeyer3:45
2."Shoot Out"Harold Faltermeyer2:44
Total length:06:29
12" single
No.TitleRemixerLength
1."The Heat Is On (extended version)" 6:04
2."The Heat Is On (dance version)"Brian Reeves5:40
3."The Heat Is On (dub version)"Brian Reeves2:39
Total length:14:23

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[30] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Tavis Smiley - View transcript. "Glenn Frey Tribute – Part 1". PBS. Archived from the original on 2017-07-23.
  2. ^ "30 killer pop guitar solos". Musicradar.com. June 8, 2011. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  3. ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 8, 1984. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  4. ^ "Reviews". Billboard. December 8, 1984. p. 62. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 244.
  6. ^ Official Charts Company info OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  7. ^ "saxophonejournal".
  8. ^ "Glenn Frey - The Heat is On - Cardinals Remix". YouTube. 4 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15.
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "Glenn Frey – The Heat Is On" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  11. ^ "Glenn Frey – The Heat Is On" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0497." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  13. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  14. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Heat Is On". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  15. ^ "Glenn Frey – The Heat Is On" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  16. ^ "Glenn Frey – The Heat Is On". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  17. ^ "Glenn Frey – The Heat Is On". VG-lista. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  18. ^ "Las canciones más populares en Latinoamérica". La Opinión (Los Angeles) (in Spanish). 3 June 1985. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Glenn Frey – The Heat Is On". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  20. ^ "Glenn Frey – The Heat Is On". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  21. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  22. ^ "Glenn Frey Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  23. ^ "Glenn Frey Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  24. ^ "Glenn Frey Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  25. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Glenn Frey – The Heat Is On" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  26. ^ "Kent Music Report No 599 – 30 December 1985 > National Top 100 Singles for 1985". Kent Music Report. Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via Imgur.
  27. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  28. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0619." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  29. ^ "1985 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 52. December 28, 1985. p. T-21.
  30. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Glenn Frey – The Heat Is On". Music Canada.