Heat of the Moment (Asia song)

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" 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.^[5]

"Heat of the Moment"
Cover of the European single
Single by Asia
from the album Asia
B-side	"Ride Easy" (International) "Time Again" (UK)
Released	April 1982 (US) June 1982 (UK)[1]
Genre	Pop rock[2] progressive rock[3] new wave[4]
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
"Heat of the Moment" (1982) "Only Time Will Tell" (1982)
Audio
"Heat of the Moment" on YouTube

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".^[6]

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.^[7]

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.^[8]

Reception

Billboard said that "this superstar quartet aims its soaring harmonies and tight arrangement at pop and beyond."^[2]

Track listing

US 7" single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Heat of the Moment"	3:50
2.	"Ride Easy"	4:35

UK 7" single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Heat of the Moment"	3:50
2.	"Time Again"	4:45

Personnel

• John Wetton – lead vocals, bass
• Geoff Downes – keyboards, backing vocals
• Steve Howe – guitar, koto,^[8] backing vocals
• Carl Palmer – drums, percussion
• Mike Stone – producer, engineer

Charts

"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.^[9][10][11]

Weekly charts

Chart (1982-1983) Peak position Australian Singles (Kent Music Report)[12] 26 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 4 French Singles (SNEP)[14] 39 Ireland (IRMA)[15] 30 Italian Singles Chart[16] 89 Japanese Singles (Oricon)[17] 90 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[18] 33 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 46 Polish Singles Chart[20] 6 Radio Luxemburg Singles[21] 26 South African Singles Chart[22] 4 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 2 UK Singles (OCC)[24] 46 US Billboard Hot 100[25] 4 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[26] 1 West Germany (GfK)[27] 7

Year-end charts Chart (1982) Peak position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[28] 47 Italian Singles Chart[29] 89 US Billboard Hot 100[30] 40 U.S. Cashbox Top 100[31] 43 West Germany (Official German Charts[32] 55

In popular culture

• It appears in the TV show Supernatural, episode "Mystery Spot".^[33]
• In the 2001 South Park episode "Kenny Dies", Eric Cartman sings the song during a speech to the House of Representatives on behalf of stem cell research.^[34]
• In the 2005 film The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
• In the 2005 film The Matador.
• In the 2007 video game Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80's, as a cover version made by WaveGroup.
• The song can be heard in the 2022 horror thriller film Barbarian, starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård and Justin Long.

References

1. "Great Rock discography". p. 26.
2. "Top Single Picks". Billboard. April 17, 1982. p. 59. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
3. Popoff, Martin (January 5, 2024). "The Top 20 unlikely Progressive Rock hits, ranked". Goldmine. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
4. Matos, Michaelangelo (8 December 2020). "Sarm Studios, London: November 25, 1984". Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year. Hachette Books. p. 319. ISBN 978-0-306-90337-3.
5. "The 10 Best Songs by John Wetton". pastemagazine.com. 7 February 2017. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
6. "Interview with John Wetton of the rock band Asia". Kickin' it Old School. May 1, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
7. Roger Dean and Geoff Downes in conversation, Roger Dean YouTube channel
8. Howe, Steve (2021). All My Yesterdays. Omnibus Press. p. 149. ISBN 9781785581793.
9. "List of number-one mainstream rock hits". wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 2013-08-26. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
10. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8 ed.). Billboard Publications. p. 35.
11. "allmusic ((( Asia > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Retrieved May 16, 2009.
12. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 19. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6555." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
14. "Le Détail des Chansons de chaque Artiste – A". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Asia from the menu, then press OK.
15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Heat of the Moment". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
16. "Hit Parade Italia - Top Annuali Single: 1982". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
17. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Asia" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
19. "Asia – Heat of the Moment". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
20. "Archiwum Listy Przebojów Programu Trzeciego". Archived from the original on 2011-12-13. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
21. "Ultimate Music Database". Umdmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
22. Brian Currin. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (A)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
23. "Asia – Heat of the Moment". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
24. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
25. "Asia Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
26. "Asia Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
27. "Offiziellecharts.de – Asia – Heat of the Moment" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
28. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6167." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
29. "Hit Parade Italia - Top Annuali Single: 1982". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
30. "Talent in Action : Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 51. December 25, 1982. p. TIA-20.
31. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2012-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
32. "Offizielle Deutsche CHARTS TOP 100 SINGLE-JAHRESCHARTS". offiziellecharts.de/. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
33. "Supernatural's "Heat Of The Moment" Loop Is A Perfect Groundhog Day Parody". ScreenRant. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
34. "The Heat of the Moment". South Park Studios. Retrieved 24 April 2022.