"Heat Wave" is a 1963 song written by the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team. It was first made popular by the Motown vocal group Martha and the Vandellas.
Released as a 45 rpm single on July 9, 1963, on the Motown subsidiary Gordy label, it hit number one on the Billboard Hot R&B chart where it stayed for four weeks and peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It was recorded 12 years later by rock vocalist Linda Ronstadt on her Platinum-selling 1975 album Prisoner in Disguise.
Ronstadt's version of the song was released as a single in September 1975, reaching number 5 in Billboard, 4 in Cash Box, and 6 in Record World.
In 2010, British musician Phil Collins spent a single week (number 28) on the Billboard Adult Contemporary listing with his retooling of the song, a smooth combination of both versions.