After his period with King Crimson, Wetton formed UK, and later he was the frontman and principal songwriter of the supergroup Asia, which proved to be his biggest commercial success. Their self-titled debut album sold eight million copies worldwide and was Billboard magazine's No. 1 album of 1982. He later formed the duo Icon with Geoff Downes (ex-Yes, ex-Buggles), and since the 1990s had a successful solo career releasing a large number of studio and live albums.
He had a long career as an in-demand session bass player, and collaborated with many members of progressive rock bands such as Yes (including Steve Howe, Bill Bruford, Geoff Downes, Alan White, Billy Sherwood and Peter Banks), Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry, and Genesis (Steve Hackett).
Wetton grew up in Bournemouth and was in a number of early bands with Richard Palmer-James, on bass and vocals, including, The Corvettes, The Palmer-James Group (formed with Alec James), Tetrad, and Ginger Man.[2] A key early band was Mogul Thrash; after live work with Renaissance, he joined Family and also did various sessions.
Wetton's first big break came when he joined Wimborne, Dorset, musician Robert Fripp in his new line-up of King Crimson in 1972, allowing Wetton to come to the fore as a lead singer and composer. Palmer-James also worked with the band as a lyricist. Wetton remained with the band until Fripp unexpectedly disbanded it in 1974. Wetton continued to work on various projects, including a tour with Roxy Music and two albums with Uriah Heep. In 1977, after failed attempts to reunite King Crimson and create a new band with Rick Wakeman, Wetton and Bruford formed U.K.. Wetton brought into UK keyboard/violin wizard Eddie Jobson, while Bruford brought in guitarist Allan Holdsworth. Upon Bruford and Holdsworth's departure, American percussionist Terry Bozzio joined, making U.K. a threesome a la Emerson, Lake and Palmer. This version of U.K. released the studio album Danger Money and toured in support of Jethro Tull.
Wetton released his first solo album, Caught in the Crossfire, in 1980 after the break-up of U.K. Later that same year, he had a brief stint in Wishbone Ash, contributing bass and vocals to Number The Brave. In 1981, at the urging of Geffen Records' John Kalodner, Wetton started working and writing with Steve Howe, who had most recently been in Yes. They went on to form Asia. with whom Wetton worked until 1983. In that year, Wetton was fired from Asia at the insistence of Geffen Records, ostensibly because of less-than-expected sales of the Alpha album. Wetton was brought back to Asia in 1985, with Mandy Meyer replacing Steve Howe, to complete Astra.
In the late 1980s, Wetton's collaboration with former Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera was released as Wetton/Manzanera, with drums provided by Yes's Alan White. Also around this time, Wetton began working again with Geoff Downes and Carl Palmer in an attempt to restart Asia without Steve Howe. Some of the material by this incarnation of Asia made its way onto 1990's Then & Now CD.
The 1990s saw Wetton mostly out of Asia and focusing on a solo career. In 1999, another attempt to reform Asia resulted in Wetton participating in the short-lived progressive rock group Qango with Carl Palmer, John Young, and Dave Kilminster. The group performed several shows in the U.K. and recorded one live album, Live in the Hood, before disbanding when Wetton and Palmer returned to their solo projects.
In the early 2000s, he reunited with Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes for iCon. In 2006, an official reunion of the original Asia line-up (Wetton, Downes, Howe, and Palmer) finally occurred. The studio album titled Phoenix, the original band's first since 1983's Alpha, was released in April 2008 and peaked at No. 73 on the North American Top 200 albums charts. The original line-up released two more studio albums, Omega and XXX before Howe departed in January 2013. With new guitarist Sam Coulson, Asia released Gravitas in March 2014.
In 2013 he guested on the album Grandine il vento with Renaissance, with whom he had played live 42 years before.
Wetton also did extensive work as a session musician with acts such as Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry and Phil Manzanera.
Wetton died on 31 January 2017, from colon cancer.
Band timeline
Mogul Thrash (1971)
Gordon Haskell (1972)
Family (1971-1972)
Larry Norman (1972)
King Crimson (1972-1974)
Uriah Heep (1975-1976)
U.K. (1977-1980, 2011-2015)
Jack-Knife (1979)
Wishbone Ash (1980)
John Wetton (1980–2017)
Asia (1981–1983, 1984–1986, 1989–1991, 2006-2017)
Qango (1999-2000)
Icon (Wetton/Downes) (2002, 2005-2009)
Heat Of The Moment
John Wetton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One thing I said that I would never do
A look from you and I would fall from grace
And that would wipe this smile right from my face
Do you remember when we used to dance?
And incident arose from circumstance
One thing lead to another, we were young
It was the heat of the moment
Telling me what your heart meant
The heat of the moment shone in your eyes
And now you find yourself in eighty two
The disco hot spots hold no charm for you
You can concern yourself with bigger things
You catch the pearl and ride the dragon's wings
'Cause it's the heat of the moment
Heat of the moment, the heat of the moment
Shone in your eyes
And when your looks are gone and you're alone
How many nights you sit beside the phone
What were the things you wanted for yourself?
Teenage ambitions you'll remember well
It was the heat of the moment
Telling me what your heart meant
The heat of the moment shone in your eyes
It was the heat of the moment
Heat of the moment, heat of the moment
Shone in your eyes
Heat of the moment, heat of the moment
Heat of the moment
Heat of the moment, heat of the moment
The lyrics to John Wetton's song "Heat of the Moment" suggest that the singer, after causing harm in a previous relationship, reminisces about a past romance. He recalls how his former partner's gaze had the power to pull him out of a moment of self-destruction. They had shared experiences, dancing and screaming songs unsung. The singer ponders how their relationship might have progressed differently, imagining his partner in the present day, having moved on to more significant things. He concludes by admitting that he can't forget the powerful feeling of that moment, and his former lover's gaze still shines bright in his memory.
Wetton seems to be warning of the potentially destructive nature of passion and attraction. The singer's uncontrolled desires prompted him to act in ways that hurt his partner. However, it's apparent that the memory of their shared experience still lingers, despite the fact that the singer has moved on. The heat of passion and attraction is temporary, but the memory of it can linger on, affecting us for years after.
Line by Line Meaning
I never meant to be so bad to you
I didn't intend to treat you badly
One thing I said that I would never do
I did something that I promised I wouldn't do
A look from you and I would fall from grace
Your disapproving look could make me lose favor or respect
And that would wipe this smile right from my face
And I would no longer appear happy or content
Do you remember when we used to dance?
Do you recall the times when we would dance?
And incident arose from circumstance
And an event occurred because of a situation
One thing lead to another, we were young
One action led to another, we were inexperienced
And we would scream together songs unsung
And we would shout out lyrics that were unheard before
It was the heat of the moment
It was the strong emotions of the moment
Telling me what your heart meant
That made me understand what you felt inside
The heat of the moment shone in your eyes
I could see the intensity of the moment in your eyes
And now you find yourself in eighty two
And now you're living in 1982
The disco hot spots hold no charm for you
You don't find the disco clubs appealing anymore
You can concern yourself with bigger things
You can focus on more important matters
You catch the pearl and ride the dragon's wings
You attain something valuable and feel triumphant
'Cause it's the heat of the moment
Because it's the intense feelings of the moment
Heat of the moment, the heat of the moment
The strong emotions of the moment
Shone in your eyes
Were evident in your eyes
And when your looks are gone and you're alone
And when you're no longer attractive and by yourself
How many nights you sit beside the phone
How many nights you spend waiting by the phone
What were the things you wanted for yourself?
What were your personal goals and aspirations?
Teenage ambitions you'll remember well
The aspirations you had as a teenager that you'll still recollect
It was the heat of the moment
It was the strong emotions of the moment
Telling me what your heart meant
That revealed what you truly felt
The heat of the moment shone in your eyes
The intensity of the moment was visible in your eyes
Heat of the moment, heat of the moment
The strong emotions of the moment
Heat of the moment
The intense feelings of the moment
Heat of the moment, heat of the moment
The strong emotions of the moment
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Geoff Downes, John Wetton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rob Fio
One of the most singularly beautiful songs I have ever heard! Thank you so much for posting this!
ulix4
I strongly agree Rob!
Mrs Tentakel
🖤
cheaplaffsarefree
Hits me right in the 80s. I'm in tears. RIP John Wetton, and thank you.
Mrs Tentakel
🖤
Frank Albin
John Wetton’s voice is sacred.
Bob Goodoien
that was beautiful ... we miss you, John.
ulix4
Back then I found myself in '82 ... my summer soundtrack on the radio, while hitchhiking and camping on a holiday in Italy. A motorcycle with sidecar! gave us a lift for a couple of days. Still remember this crystal clear like a paramount picture. Asia found themselves in the charts back in '82. Bless you John Wetton!
Lolito01
beautiful version!!! thanks for posting!!! RIP Dear Jiohn Wetton.
Mitch Conroy
Love the acoustic version has soo much more emotion