The 1977 Heatwave single written by Rod Temperton that reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 was “Boogie Nights.”
Temperton wrote the song and played keyboards and synthesizer on the recording. It appeared on Heatwave’s debut album, Too Hot to Handle, and was produced by Barry Blue. The track blends disco’s dance-floor pulse with the tight rhythm-section sound associated with late-1970s funk.
“Boogie Nights” became Heatwave’s signature hit. In the United States, it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, held back from the top spot by Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life.” It also reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom and No. 1 in New Zealand, while earning a platinum certification in the U.S.
A common mix-up is the 1997 film titled Boogie Nights. Heatwave’s recording was not used in that film, reportedly because lead singer Johnnie Wilder Jr. objected to the movie’s subject matter and felt the song was about dancing rather than pornography.