The Heat Is On (Agnetha Fältskog song)
{{Infobox song
| name = The Heat Is On
| cover = TheHeatIsOn.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Agnetha Fältskog
| album = Wrap Your Arms Around Me
| B-side = Man
| recorded = 1983
| studio =
| genre = Europop
| length = 3:53
| label = Polar Music
| writer =
- Florrie Palmer
- Tony Ashton
| producer = Mike Chapman
| prev_title = Never Again
| prev_year = 1982
| next_title = Wrap Your Arms Around Me
| next_year = 1983
}}
"The Heat Is On" is a song written by Florrie Palmer and Tony Ashton, originally recorded by Australian singer Noosha Fox in 1979. It was notably recorded by Swedish singer Agnetha Fältskog in 1983 for her debut English-language solo studio album, Wrap Your Arms Around Me.
Original releases
The song was originally recorded in 1979 by Noosha Fox, which failed to chart when Fox released it as a single. It had also been rewritten by Manfred Mann's Earth Band as "On the Run" for their 1980 album Chance.
Agnetha Fältskog version
Fältskog's version was released as lead European single from Wrap Your Arms Around Me.
= Background =
In 1982, ABBA had released the compilation The Singles: The First Ten Years, Frida had embarked on a solo career with her successful first English-language album, Something’s Going On, produced by Phil Collins, while Fältskog released a duet single, Never Again with Tomas Ledin. In early 1983, Fältskog recorded the album Wrap Your Arms Around Me and the lead single became "The Heat Is On", released on May 1983. In an interview, Fältskog said “every time a single of ours becomes a hit we are happy. Now that I hear my own single on the radio I get excited. A very happy feeling. Especially because we worked hard on it. It has influenced my life for months.”{{Cite news |date=1983-05-21 |title=ABBA'S AGNETHA NU OOK MET EEN SOLO-ELPEE OP DE MARKT „Frida en ik worden heel vaak met elkaar vergeleken. We lachen er om!” |url=https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/view?query=Agnetha&facets%5Bperiode%5D%5B%5D=2%7C20e_eeuw%7C1980-1989%7C1983%7C&page=2&sortfield=date&coll=ddd&identifier=ddd:010593248:mpeg21:a0516&resultsidentifier=ddd:010593248:mpeg21:a0516&rowid=10 |access-date=2024-12-29 |work=Limburgsch dagblad}}
The B-side of "The Heat Is On" was the song "Man", written by Fältskog herself. Compared to her pre-ABBA-albums where most of the songs were self-penned, this was the only song on the Wrap Your Arms Around Me album that she wrote herself.
= Chart performance =
The single reached No.1 in Sweden and Norway, and peaked at No. 2 in Belgium and the Netherlands. In the United Kingdom, "The Heat Is On" peaked at No. 35, making it Fältskog's highest-charting solo single in the UK until the release of her 2004 comeback single, "If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind", which reached No. 11.
In some countries, the record companies also released a 12-inch single featuring an extended version of "The Heat Is On" instead of the album version.
=Music video=
The accompanying music video was shot by Swedish director Erik Irion Nanne in a public bath in Stockholm named Centralbadet for two nights after closing time. According to Nanne, after the last shot, Fältskog fell into the water and could not continue (her hair got all wet). The video also features dancer Blossom Tainton.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_6IQN56GzA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/H_6IQN56GzA |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Agnetha Fältskog -The Heat Is On |publisher=YouTube |date=2013-05-04 |accessdate=2014-05-23}}{{cbignore}}
=Charts=
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly chart performance for "The Heat Is On" ! scope="col"| Chart (1983) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| {{single chart|Flanders|2|artist=Agnetha Fältskog|song=The Heat Is On|rowheader=true|access-date=22 March 2016}} |
| scope="row"| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista){{cite book |last=Pennanen |first=Timo |title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 |language=fi |edition=1st |location=Helsinki |publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava |year=2006 |isbn=978-951-1-21053-5}}
| 22 |
|---|
| {{single chart|Ireland2|28|song=The Heat Is On|rowheader=true|access-date=22 March 2016}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch40|2|artist=Agnetha Faltskog|rowheader=true|access-date=24 May 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|5|artist=Agnetha Fältskog|song=The Heat Is On|rowheader=true|access-date=24 May 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Norway|1|artist=Agnetha Fältskog|song=The Heat Is On|rowheader=true|access-date=22 March 2016}} |
| {{single chart|Sweden|1|artist=Agnetha Fältskog|song=The Heat Is On|rowheader=true|access-date=22 March 2016}} |
| {{single chart|Switzerland|15|artist=Agnetha Fältskog|song=The Heat Is On|rowheader=true|access-date=22 March 2016}} |
| {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|35|artist=Agnetha Faltskog|artistid=28429|rowheader=true|access-date=24 May 2022}} |
| {{single chart|West Germany|20|songid=972|artist=Agnetha Fältskog|song=The Heat Is On|rowheader=true|access-date=22 March 2016}} |
{{col-2}}
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Year-end chart performance for "The Heat Is On" ! scope="col"| Chart (1983) ! scope="col"| Position |
| scope="row"| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders){{cite web |url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1983 |title=Jaaroverzichten 1983 – Singles |language=nl |publisher=Ultratop |access-date=24 May 2022}}
| 24 |
|---|
| scope="row"| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40){{cite web |url=https://www.top40.nl/bijzondere-lijsten/top-100-jaaroverzichten/1983 |title=Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1983 |language=nl |publisher=Dutch Top 40 |access-date=24 May 2022}}
| 20 |
| scope="row"| Netherlands (Single Top 100){{cite web |url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1983&cat=s |title=Jaaroverzichten – Single 1983 |language=nl |publisher=Dutch Charts |access-date=24 May 2022}}
| 41 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{certification Table Top}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist=Agnetha Faltskog|title=The Heat Is On|award=Platinum|certyear=1983|relyear=1983|salesamount=1,000,000|salesref={{cite web |title=Agnetha Fältskog -7" Platinum Disc - The Heat Is On |url=https://www.ukmusicawards.co.uk/agnetha-falkskog--7-platinumdisccover-the-heat-is-on-451-p.asp |website=ukmusicawards.co.uk |access-date=27 January 2025}}|certref=}}
{{table end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Agnetha Fältskog}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heat Is On, The}}
Category:Agnetha Fältskog songs
Category:Number-one singles in Norway