They were only the third artist ever to have their first three releases go to number one on the UK singles chart, a feat they achieved between July and December 1989. The previous bands to do so were Gerry & The Pacemakers and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. They also went to number one in several other countries around the world.
Jive Bunny's three number ones were "Swing the Mood", "That's What I Like" and "Let's Party". All three songs used sampling and synthesisers to combine pop music from the early rock and roll era together into a medley. The results were somewhat like Jaap Eggermont's Stars on 45, although he had hired "sound-alike" singers and musicians to recreate the music from scratch.
Each song used a sampled instrumental theme to join the old songs together, in much the same way as dance music megamixes. "Swing the Mood" began with Glenn Miller's famous "In the Mood" (a recording dating back to 1939), followed immediately by rhythmic re-editing of Bill Haley and His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock", Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," and the Everly Brothers' "Wake Up, Little Susie." "Swing the Mood" was #1 for five weeks on the UK singles chart in 1989, and quickly caught on in America.
"That's What I Like" featured the theme music from the television police drama Hawaii Five-O, with overlaid excerpts from rock hits like Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Ernie Maresca's "Shout, Shout (Knock Yourself Out)". "Let's Party" (released originally in the US as "March of the Mods") used "March of the Mods" (also known as the Finnjenka Dance), interpolating Del Shannon's "Runaway" and The Wrens' "Come Back My Love," among others.
The original European medleys featured the original recordings by the original artists. Legalities prevented certain of the original recordings to be reused in America, so the American Jive Bunny releases substituted later re-recordings of the same tunes by Bill Haley, Del Shannon, and others.
The original idea for the project came from Les Hemstock on the DJ-only Mastermix DJ service. Andy Pickles then become the front man largely on his own. John Pickles (his father) was strictly speaking never in the band, but the owner of the label and effectively the manager. Rebecca Male, a relation of John Pickles, was and is heavily involved in the production of the records.
Andy Pickles later went on to found hard house record label Tidy Trax with fellow DJ Amadeus Mozart.
Heatwave
Jive Bunny And The Mastermixers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heat wave
Whenever I'm with you
Something inside
Starts to burn deep
And my heart's filled with fire
Could be that I'm very sentimental
I got a heat wave
Burning in my heart
I can't keep from crying
Tearing me apart
Sometimes she calls my name
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can't explain
I feel, yeah I feel
I feel this burning flame
This high blood pressure's got a hold on me
'Cause this is the way love's supposed to be
I got a heat wave
Burning in my heart
I can't keep from crying
Tearing me apart
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Just give me another chance
This could be a new romance
Heat wave
Heat wave
Heat wave
Heat wave
The lyrics to Jive Bunny And The Mastermixers' song Heatwave express intense passion and emotion experienced when the singer is with their lover. The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics, with the singer expressing that being with their lover causes a fiery feeling within them. They question whether this intense feeling is just them being sentimental or if it is what love is truly supposed to feel like. The chorus repeats the phrase "I got a heat wave burning in my heart" to emphasize the unquenchable desire and love they feel for their partner, which is tearing them apart and causing them to cry uncontrollably.
The singer then goes on to explain that sometimes their lover calls their name, and even though they can't explain it, they feel a burning flame inside them. They acknowledge that their high blood pressure is a result of this intense love, but they accept that this is just how love is supposed to be. The final lines of the song plead for another chance with their lover, and the repetition of the phrase "Heatwave" emphasizes the overwhelming feeling of love that consumes them.
Line by Line Meaning
Heat wave
Introducing the title of the song
Heat wave
Repeating the title of the song
Whenever I'm with you
Describing a situation when the singer is with someone
Something inside
Acknowledging an internal feeling
Starts to burn deep
Describing the intensity of the internal feeling
And my heart's filled with fire
Metaphorically expressing the depth of the feeling
Could be that I'm very sentimental
Suggesting a possible reason for the intensity of the feeling
Or is this just the way love's supposed to be?
Rhetorically asking whether such a feeling is a characteristic of love
I got a heat wave
Introducing a metaphor for the feeling
Burning in my heart
Further describing the metaphor
I can't keep from crying
Expressing the intensity of the feeling
Tearing me apart
Metaphorically emphasizing the distress caused by the feeling
Sometimes she calls my name
Referring to a specific person whom the singer is addressing
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can't explain
Expressing inability to communicate the depth of the feeling
I feel, yeah I feel
Reaffirming the existence of the feeling
I feel this burning flame
Reiterating the metaphor for the feeling
This high blood pressure's got a hold on me
Using a medical condition as a metaphor for the intensity of the feeling
'Cause this is the way love's supposed to be
Justifying the intensity of the feeling as being characteristic of love
Oh yeah
Reaffirming the intensity of the feeling
Oh yeah
Reiterating the previous line
Just give me another chance
An appeal for an opportunity
This could be a new romance
Regarding the potential relationship with the specific person
Heat wave
Repeating the title of the song
Heat wave
Repeating the title of the song
Heat wave
Repeating the title of the song
Heat wave
Repeating the title of the song
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EDWARD JR. HOLLAND, LAMONT DOZIER, BRIAN HOLLAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind