Forgotten Songs of the '70s: Heatwave

Forgotten Songs of the ‘70s: Heatwave

I know it has been quite a while since I’ve done anything about the seventies but recently, I had a revelation. Listening to some old Heatwave recently, I came across a powerhouse song called “Mind Blowing Decisions,” a song from their 1977 sophomore record, Central Heating.

Unlike other Heatwave songs, this one was written by band leader Johnnie Wilder, Jr. and while he never wrote many songs in the band’s catalog, this is one to treasure. What on the surface sounds a relatively simple love song quickly becomes a look into the mind of someone who’s being torn apart by love. The main question being raised whether the man wants to stay with the woman as boyfriend or husband. Wilder’s voice keeps the song up at all times and the power of his words will make the hair stand up on your arms all the way through. With very light, almost orchestral accompaniment from the rest of the band, “Mind Blowing Decisions” is quite unlike any other R&B ballad from the time and that’s one of the greatest reasons to remember the song for weddings and any other time it would come in handy.

When the song was released as a single, the record company was busy promoting the other single “The Groove Line” and at the time, people weren’t ready to slow down the boogieing so the song never got the amount of attention it deserved. Now with plenty of time to look back at Heatwave’s career, now is the moment to start loving this song with that special someone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ez8Nc7ZWw

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