Martha And The Vandellas - Heat Wave

First performance: 31/01/1973


Coverinfo

Bruce played the song 2 times in full and 3 times as a snippet:
 
 
Martha and the Vandellas' "Heat Wave" opens. The song was also soundchecked.
 
 

2003-09-21 Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Bruce performs "Heat Wave" with Martha Reeves and "Mary's Place" includes "Dancing In The Street".
 
 
 
  • Snippets
during the collection of sign requests.
2009-08-23 Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA
 
during SOMETHING YOU GOT
 
Some sources say Bruce played an instrumental riff from Heat wave at the beginning of Circus song. But the audio’s don’t prove this to be right.
 

Songinfo

"Heat Wave" is a 1963 song written by the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team. It was first made popular by the American Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. Released as a 45 rpm single on July 9, 1963, on the Motown subsidiary Gordy label.The lyrics of "Heat Wave" feature the song's narrator singing about a guy who has her heart "burning with desire" and "going insane" over the feeling of his love, and asking, "is this the way love's supposed to be?" The song is often referred to as "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave", but the title on the label of the original 1963 single was just "Heat Wave". Produced and composed with a gospel backbeat, jazz overtones and, doo-wop call and responsive vocals, "Heat Wave" was one of the first songs to exemplify the style of music later termed as the "Motown Sound". The Martha and the Vandellas version was featured in the 1970 film The Boys in the Band.
 
 
 

Other cover versions

Bruce on the artist

Lyrics

Whenever I'm with him
Something inside
Starts to burnin'
And I'm filled with desire
Could it be the devil in me
Or is this the way love's supposed to be
Just like a heatwave
Burning in my heart
Can't keep from cryin'
It's tearing me apart
Whenever he calls my name
So slow, sweet and plain
I feel, yeah, yeah, well I feel that burning flame
Has my blood pressure got a hold on me
Or is this the way love's supposed to be
Just like a heatwave
Burning in my heart
Can't keep from cryin'
It's tearing me apart
Sometimes I stare in space
Tears all over my face
I can't explain it, don't understand it
I 'ain't never felt like this before
But that doesn't mean it has me amazed
I don't know what to do, my head's in a haze
Just like a heatwave
Burning in my heart
Can't keep from cryin'
It's tearing me apart
Don't pass up this chance
This time it's a true romance