Rodney Lynn "Rod" Temperton (9 October 1947 – 5 October 2016) was an Englis… Read Full Bio ↴Rodney Lynn "Rod" Temperton (9 October 1947 – 5 October 2016) was an English songwriter, record producer, and musician from Cleethorpes, England. He initially made his mark as the keyboardist and main songwriter for the R&B band Heatwave before writing several internationally known songs performed by Michael Jackson, including "Off The Wall," "Rock With You," and "Thriller."
As Temperton remembers music was in his bones from an early age; " My father wasn't the kind of person who'd read you a story before you went off to sleep - he used to put a transistor radio in the crib, right on the pillow, and I'd go to sleep listening to Radio Luxemburg and I think that had an influence." Temperton attended the De Aston School in Market Rasen and he formed a group for the school's music competitions. He was a drummer at this time. " I'd get in the living room with my snare drum and my cymbal and play along to the Test Card, which was all kinds of music they'd be playing continuously." On leaving school he started working in the office of a frozen food company in Grimsby. He soon became a full-time musician however, a keyboard player now, and played in several dance bands, and this took him to Worms in Germany. In 1972 Temperton and guitarist Bernd Springer formed a soul cover band called Sundown Carousel. With Temperton on an old Hammond organ the band performed in clubs and GI bars in cities such as Mannheim.[citation needed] In 1974 he answered an advert in Melody Maker placed by Johnnie Wilder, Jr. and so became a member of the popular funk/disco band, Heatwave which Wilder was putting together at the time. "He was the first British guy that I had ever met personally. He spoke kind of funny but he had a good sense of humour and he was a very friendly guy. After meeting him and then seeing him play I kind of determined he was a good enough player and entertainer and I just knew he would fit in the group", said Wilder. Temperton played tunes he had been composing to Johnny Wider, Jr. : "I was very interested because we were doing a lot of cover tunes - we weren't doing a lot of original material - I was really interested." The songs provided material for 1976's Too Hot to Handle including "Boogie Nights", which broke the band in Britain and the United States, and the memorable ballad, "Always and Forever" - both tracks were million-sellers in the U.S.
Temperton's work attracted the attention of Quincy Jones, and he asked his engineer Bruce Swedien to check out the Heatwave album. " Holy cow! I simply loved Rod's musical feeling - everything about it - Rod's arrangements, his tunes , his songs - was exceedingly hip," recalled Swedien. Despite the slick American sound Temperton's working surroundings were still far from glamorous . Alan Kirk, a Yorkshire musician with Jimmy James and the Vagabonds who toured with Heatwave in the mid 1970s remembered; " The Always and Forever track was written on a Wurlitzer piano at the side of a pile of smelly washing - sorry to disappoint all the romantics." And producer Barry Blue recalled; "He had a very small flat, so everything had to be done within one room and he had piles of washing, and had the T.V. on top of the organ. It was a nightmare..he had trams running outside..but he made it, he just absorbed himself in the music and Rod seemed to come up with these amazing songs." In 1977 Heatwave followed up the success of their first L.P. with their second, Central Heating, Barry Blue again producing, and Temperton behind the majority of the songs. It included Groove Line, another huge selling hit single with the by now familiar Heatwave sound and Rod Temperton hook. In 1978 Temperton decided to concentrate on writing and left Heatwave though he continued to write for the band.
In the early 1980s Temperton left Germany and moved to Beverly Hills, California.
In 1979, he was recruited by Quincy Jones to write for what became Michael Jackson's first solo album in four years, and his first full-fledged solo release for Epic Records, entitled Off The Wall. Temperton wrote three songs for the album, including Rock with You which became the second US #1 single from the album. In 1982, Temperton wrote three songs, including the title track, for Jackson's next LP, Thriller, which became the biggest-selling album of all time.
Temperton was nominated for an Oscar for a song on the soundtrack of the film, The Color Purple, as the co-writer of the song "Miss Celie's Blues".
Songwriting credits
Temperton wrote/co-wrote for the following singers/bands:
* Michael Jackson: "Rock with You", "Off the Wall", "Burn This Disco Out", "Baby Be Mine", "The Lady in My Life", "Thriller", "Someone in the Dark", "Hot Street".
* Heatwave: "Boogie Nights", "Always and Forever", "The Groove Line", "Gangsters of the Groove", "Lettin' It Loose", "Keep Tomorrow for Me", "Party Suite"
* James Ingram & Michael McDonald: "Yah Mo B There".
* Tamia: "You Put a Move on My Heart".
* Rufus: "Masterjam", "Live In Me".
* The Brothers Johnson: "Stomp!" and "Treasure" "Light up the Night", "All About The Heaven".
* Donna Summer: "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)", "Livin' In America" and "Love Is Just A Breath Away".
* Quincy Jones: "The Dude", "Razzamatazz", "Somethin' Special", "Turn On The Action", "The Secret Garden" and "Back On The Block", "You Put a Move on My Heart" and "Q's Jook Joint".
* Herbie Hancock: "Lite Me Up", "Getting To The Good Part", "Motor Mouth".
* Aretha Franklin: "Livin' In The Streets".
* Jeffrey Osborne: "We Belong To Love" (which Temperton also produced).
* Bob James: "Sign Of The Times" and "The Steamin' Feelin'".
* The Manhattan Transfer: "Mystery", "The Spice Of Life", from their Bodies and Souls album.
* George Benson: Give Me the Night LP, including "Love x Love", "Turn Out the Lamplight" and the title track.
* James Ingram: "One More Rhythm" from his It's Your Night LP (also includes "Yah Mo B There").
* Anita Baker: "Mystery" from her Rapture album.
* Patti Austin: Every Home Should Have One LP; "Do You Love Me?", "The Genie", "Baby, Come To Me" (with James Ingram).
* Second Image: "Lights Out" on Strange Reflections
* Michael McDonald: "Sweet Freedom".
* Stephanie Mills: "Time of Your Life" and "Hold On to Midnight".
* Karen Carpenter: "Lovelines" and "If We Try".
* LL Cool J featuring Boyz II Men: "Hey Lover" (Temperton listed as co-writer for sampled section from Michael Jackson's "The Lady in My Life").
* Mica Paris: "Love Keeps Coming Back", "Two in a Million", & "You Put A Move On My Heart".
* Mýa: "Man in my Life".
* Klymaxx: "Man-Size Love".
* C+C Music Factory: "Share That Beat of Love".
* Angie Stone: "Lovers' Ghetto" from her Stone Love album.
* Mariah Carey: "I'm That Chick" (Temperton listed as co-writer for sampled section from Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall") from her E=MC² album.
As Temperton remembers music was in his bones from an early age; " My father wasn't the kind of person who'd read you a story before you went off to sleep - he used to put a transistor radio in the crib, right on the pillow, and I'd go to sleep listening to Radio Luxemburg and I think that had an influence." Temperton attended the De Aston School in Market Rasen and he formed a group for the school's music competitions. He was a drummer at this time. " I'd get in the living room with my snare drum and my cymbal and play along to the Test Card, which was all kinds of music they'd be playing continuously." On leaving school he started working in the office of a frozen food company in Grimsby. He soon became a full-time musician however, a keyboard player now, and played in several dance bands, and this took him to Worms in Germany. In 1972 Temperton and guitarist Bernd Springer formed a soul cover band called Sundown Carousel. With Temperton on an old Hammond organ the band performed in clubs and GI bars in cities such as Mannheim.[citation needed] In 1974 he answered an advert in Melody Maker placed by Johnnie Wilder, Jr. and so became a member of the popular funk/disco band, Heatwave which Wilder was putting together at the time. "He was the first British guy that I had ever met personally. He spoke kind of funny but he had a good sense of humour and he was a very friendly guy. After meeting him and then seeing him play I kind of determined he was a good enough player and entertainer and I just knew he would fit in the group", said Wilder. Temperton played tunes he had been composing to Johnny Wider, Jr. : "I was very interested because we were doing a lot of cover tunes - we weren't doing a lot of original material - I was really interested." The songs provided material for 1976's Too Hot to Handle including "Boogie Nights", which broke the band in Britain and the United States, and the memorable ballad, "Always and Forever" - both tracks were million-sellers in the U.S.
Temperton's work attracted the attention of Quincy Jones, and he asked his engineer Bruce Swedien to check out the Heatwave album. " Holy cow! I simply loved Rod's musical feeling - everything about it - Rod's arrangements, his tunes , his songs - was exceedingly hip," recalled Swedien. Despite the slick American sound Temperton's working surroundings were still far from glamorous . Alan Kirk, a Yorkshire musician with Jimmy James and the Vagabonds who toured with Heatwave in the mid 1970s remembered; " The Always and Forever track was written on a Wurlitzer piano at the side of a pile of smelly washing - sorry to disappoint all the romantics." And producer Barry Blue recalled; "He had a very small flat, so everything had to be done within one room and he had piles of washing, and had the T.V. on top of the organ. It was a nightmare..he had trams running outside..but he made it, he just absorbed himself in the music and Rod seemed to come up with these amazing songs." In 1977 Heatwave followed up the success of their first L.P. with their second, Central Heating, Barry Blue again producing, and Temperton behind the majority of the songs. It included Groove Line, another huge selling hit single with the by now familiar Heatwave sound and Rod Temperton hook. In 1978 Temperton decided to concentrate on writing and left Heatwave though he continued to write for the band.
In the early 1980s Temperton left Germany and moved to Beverly Hills, California.
In 1979, he was recruited by Quincy Jones to write for what became Michael Jackson's first solo album in four years, and his first full-fledged solo release for Epic Records, entitled Off The Wall. Temperton wrote three songs for the album, including Rock with You which became the second US #1 single from the album. In 1982, Temperton wrote three songs, including the title track, for Jackson's next LP, Thriller, which became the biggest-selling album of all time.
Temperton was nominated for an Oscar for a song on the soundtrack of the film, The Color Purple, as the co-writer of the song "Miss Celie's Blues".
Songwriting credits
Temperton wrote/co-wrote for the following singers/bands:
* Michael Jackson: "Rock with You", "Off the Wall", "Burn This Disco Out", "Baby Be Mine", "The Lady in My Life", "Thriller", "Someone in the Dark", "Hot Street".
* Heatwave: "Boogie Nights", "Always and Forever", "The Groove Line", "Gangsters of the Groove", "Lettin' It Loose", "Keep Tomorrow for Me", "Party Suite"
* James Ingram & Michael McDonald: "Yah Mo B There".
* Tamia: "You Put a Move on My Heart".
* Rufus: "Masterjam", "Live In Me".
* The Brothers Johnson: "Stomp!" and "Treasure" "Light up the Night", "All About The Heaven".
* Donna Summer: "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)", "Livin' In America" and "Love Is Just A Breath Away".
* Quincy Jones: "The Dude", "Razzamatazz", "Somethin' Special", "Turn On The Action", "The Secret Garden" and "Back On The Block", "You Put a Move on My Heart" and "Q's Jook Joint".
* Herbie Hancock: "Lite Me Up", "Getting To The Good Part", "Motor Mouth".
* Aretha Franklin: "Livin' In The Streets".
* Jeffrey Osborne: "We Belong To Love" (which Temperton also produced).
* Bob James: "Sign Of The Times" and "The Steamin' Feelin'".
* The Manhattan Transfer: "Mystery", "The Spice Of Life", from their Bodies and Souls album.
* George Benson: Give Me the Night LP, including "Love x Love", "Turn Out the Lamplight" and the title track.
* James Ingram: "One More Rhythm" from his It's Your Night LP (also includes "Yah Mo B There").
* Anita Baker: "Mystery" from her Rapture album.
* Patti Austin: Every Home Should Have One LP; "Do You Love Me?", "The Genie", "Baby, Come To Me" (with James Ingram).
* Second Image: "Lights Out" on Strange Reflections
* Michael McDonald: "Sweet Freedom".
* Stephanie Mills: "Time of Your Life" and "Hold On to Midnight".
* Karen Carpenter: "Lovelines" and "If We Try".
* LL Cool J featuring Boyz II Men: "Hey Lover" (Temperton listed as co-writer for sampled section from Michael Jackson's "The Lady in My Life").
* Mica Paris: "Love Keeps Coming Back", "Two in a Million", & "You Put A Move On My Heart".
* Mýa: "Man in my Life".
* Klymaxx: "Man-Size Love".
* C+C Music Factory: "Share That Beat of Love".
* Angie Stone: "Lovers' Ghetto" from her Stone Love album.
* Mariah Carey: "I'm That Chick" (Temperton listed as co-writer for sampled section from Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall") from her E=MC² album.
[interview]
Rod Temperton Lyrics
We have lyrics for '[interview]' by these artists:
Five Say, We ain't gotta go no cinema. Shawty outta motion pictur…
Iron & Wine Keith Wilfort: How did you feel when you finally learned tha…
M. Ward что твой внутренний голос говорит тебе каждый день? честно …
Rev. C.H. Savage & Alan Lomax Yeah I don't know I don't know Yeah I don't know What you th…
Tegan and Sara CHARLOTTE: That wasn’t- It didn’t sound like- LEVI: Charlot…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Drae Lyon
Girl, close your eyes
Let that rhythm get into you
Don't try to fight it
There ain't nothin' that you can do
Relax your mind
Lay back and groove with mine
[Pre-Chorus]
You gotta feel that heat
And we can ride the boogie
Share that beat of love
[Chorus]
I wanna rock with you (All night)
Dance you into day (Sunlight)
I wanna rock with you (All night)
We're gonna rock the night away (Rock, right)
[Verse 2]
Out on the floor
There ain't nobody there but us
Girl, when you dance
There's a magic that must be love
Just take it slow
'Cause we got so far to go
[Pre-Chorus]
When you feel that heat
And we're gonna ride the boogie
Share that beat of love
[Chorus]
I wanna rock with you (All night)
Dance you into day (Sunlight)
I wanna rock with you (All night)
We're gonna rock the night away
[Bridge]
And when the groove is dead and gone (Yeah)
You know that love survives
So we can rock forever, on
I wanna rock with you
I wanna groove with you
I wanna rock with you
I wanna groove with you
[Chorus]
I wanna rock (All night)
With you girl (Sunlight)
Rock with you, rock with you girl (Yeah)
(All night)
Dance the night away
I wanna rock with you (Yeah)
(All night)
Rock you into day (Sunlight)
I wanna rock with you (All night)
Rock the night away
[Outro]
Feel the heat, feel the beat (All night)
Rock you into day (Sunlight)
I wanna rock (All night)
Rock the night away
knightlife22
A lot of people listening to this have no idea how difficult but crucial this process is. Melody is everything. What a legend.
Robert Alexander
If you can hum it, and anyone can sing it, you got a hit!!!
Jonnie Quezt
i know believe me
Jonnie Quezt
thats why it brings tears to my eyes
WFROMPARIS
Difficult yes. Crucial for sure. It’s the moment you transform an idea on hit, or for this example on a masterpiece.
Music Styck Arnis Kiyta
Yeah i struggle writing melodies
Ponz
Rod Temperton + Quincy Jones + Michael Jackson = greatest hits ever made
Nazim
+ Bruce Swedien ;)
indylloyd
As a producer looking back at rod temperton genius is crazy... consistently thought of new hits... in my opinion he doesn’t get the mainstream recognition he deserves... the guitar chord loop in thriller during the dance sequence🤯
Prod. Sml Beatz
fuckin right