Many acts rode the disco wave with uptempo songs in the mid to late 70s to 80s that soared to the top of the charts. But how many of them were able to turn on a dime and deliver a knockout ballad as well?
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Heatwave, the multinational band that made a huge splash with “Boogie Nights”, figured out the slow-song formula. “Always And Forever”, first released by Heatwave in 1976, became an all-time slow-dance classic.
Wave Hello
Johnnie Wilder Jr. was serving in the US Army when he first envisioned the band that would one day gain him stardom. At one point, while stationed in Germany, he and his singing buddies rehearsed at a building with a radiator that was on the fritz and kept blowing intense heat no matter how it was set. Hence, the name Heatwave.
Upon finishing his service, Wilder moved to the United Kingdom. That’s where he met the Brit Rod Temperton, a keyboardist and budding songwriter who was looking to join a band. Other members of the band came from countries like Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, and Jamaica, which brought a wide array of influences to the table.
The band found a record deal in London and put together their 1976 debut album, fittingly named Too Hot To Handle. Temperton wrote all the songs, while vocal duties were split between Johnnie Wilder and his brother Keith.
“Forever” a Hit
Heatwave’s first two singles missed the charts, but “Boogie Nights”, which deftly combined soul and funk, took off in Great Britain. That helped the band get a US release of Too Hot To Handle in 1977 on Epic Records. And it gave them the opportunity to drop a ballad on the world.
Heatwave’s “Always And Forever” kept the momentum rolling. Featuring a crawling pace and a heartfelt vocal from Johnnie Wilder Jr., the song made it to the Top 10 in the UK and the Top 20 in the US. Chances are you’ve heard it played at a wedding or two by the DJ or the band, and maybe you’ve even huddled close to your significant other with it.
Heatwave’s momentum stalled when Rod Temperton left the band not long after “Always And Forever” peaked in the charts. He moved on to a lucrative songwriting career. Most notably, Temperton penned some of the biggest hits found on Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall and Thriller albums.
Behind the Lyrics of “Always And Forever”
Temperton’s lyrics lock into the weaving melody of “Always And Forever” with smooth precision. “Always and forever, each moment with you,” Wilder Jr. sings. “Is just like a dream to me that somehow came true.”
The idea behind the song is that a special love is eternal. “’Cause we’ve got a life of love that won’t ever change,” the narrator insists. Not that he can put a finger on it: “It’s something I can’t explain just the things that you do.”
“Take time to tell me, you really care,” he implores. “And we’ll share tomorrow together.” Heatwave didn’t have a ton of tomorrows in the limelight after this song hit. But they left behind a classic that will crowd dance floors, maybe not “Always And Forever”, but at least for a mighty long time.
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images
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