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"The Heat Is On" is a song written by Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey and recorded by Glenn Frey, from Faltermeyer and Forsey's soundtrack of the popular 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop. It was a major hit single in its own right, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1985.^[1] It was also quite popular internationally, reaching number two on the Australian Singles Chart in 1985 and gaining peaks of number 8 on the Canadian Singles Chart and number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.^[2]

The mid-to-up-tempo recording featured a steady drumbeat, synthesizer and guitar, with a repeated saxophone riff framing the lyrical message:

Caught up in the action, I've been looking out for you

Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho

(Tell me can you feel it, Tell me can you feel it)

The heat is on, the heat is on-oh-on, the heat is on

It's on the street, the heat is ... on.

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, who did not play on the actual recording.

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 song was ranked 784th out of 2006 songs by voting featured in the Triple M Essential 2006 Countdown.

"The Heat Is On" was Ottawa Senators star forward Dany Heatley's goal song. It is also the song played when the Omaha Lancers junior hockey team scores, making reference to the United States Hockey League. During the mid-to-late 1980s, it was also played at New York Mets home games following a home run by a Mets player. It is the walk-on music for English darts player Denis Ovens. The song's title expression has been directly used in marketing slogans, such as for Australian television operations TVW and Seven Network. Most notably, it has been a theme song for the Miami Heat since the franchise's creation in 1988, and is played after home wins.

In 2009, it was used in a political context as well, becoming the theme song for the British Columbia Liberal Party Member of the Legislative Assembly for Vancouver-Fraserview, Kash Heed. It was played at Fraserview Hall on May 12, 2009, when Heed was declared the winner over New Democratic Party of British Columbia rival Gabriel Yiu.

[edit] References

v • d • e Glenn Frey Studio albums No Fun Aloud | The Allnighter | Soul Searchin' | Strange Weather Live albums Glenn Frey Live Compilations Solo Collection Singles "The Heat Is On" | "You Belong to the City"

v • d • e Beverly Hills Cop series Films Beverly Hills Cop • II • III • IV  Notable contributors Eddie Murphy • Judge Reinhold • John Ashton • Martin Brest • John Landis • Tony Scott • Jerry Bruckheimer • Don Simpson • Harold Faltermeyer • Sherman Brothers  Characters Axel Foley • Billy Rosewood  Music "Axel F" • "Cross My Broken Heart" • "I Want Your Sex" • "The Heat Is On" • "Luv 4 Dem Gangsta'z" • "Nasty Girl" • "Neutron Dance" • "New Attitude" • "Shakedown" • "Stir It Up" • Wonderworld Song

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