"Feel the Heat" by Jean Beauvoir

Song#:  2757
Date:  06/14/1986
Debut:  92
Peak:  73
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Rock, Soundtrack



Pop Bits:  Beauvoir is probably best known for being a member of the infamous punk band The Plasmatics. It was while he was in the band that he created his signature look - a large blonde Mohawk that he would sport for most of his career. Being in a highly influential and talked about band such as The Plasmatics was great exposure for bassist Beauvoir, but he had aspirations for something more. After two albums with the band, he left to start a solo career. Unfortunately, it seemed no one was interested in Beauvoir as a solo artist. He got offers to perform with other artists such as Prince and Billy Idol, but that wasn't what he was looking for. He was finally convinced to join another band when Springsteen cohort Steven Van Zandt came calling. Beauvoir joined Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul and stayed with them for two albums. With that experience under his belt, Beauvoir was then able to secure a solo deal with Virgin Records in the UK. He then recorded his debut solo album Drums Along the Mohawk, which was issued out around Europe. The LP got the attention of Columbia Records and they picked it up for release in the US. Also around this time, Sylvester Stallone had heard the track "Feel the Heat" and wanted it in his upcoming film Cobra. Everything came together in the summer of '86 with this song being pushed out as a single along with the release of Beauvoir's album and the Cobra soundtrack. The song got a bit of attention and was able to reach the Pop chart, but only for a couple of months. Beauvoir's album would get to #93 while the soundtrack would make it to #100. The song would be Beauvoir's only one to reach the Pop chart. He would do one more album for Columbia/Virgin that failed to make an impression before heading up two bands, Voodoo X and Crown of Thorns, and working as a songwriter/producer for many major artists.

ReduxReview:  Any Plasmatics fans who were looking for some punk-ish rock from Beauvoir's debut were going to be disappointed. Thanks in part to his time with Van Zandt, Beauvoir decided to go down the AOR lane and this first track led the way. Filled out with 80s synths, the song sounded like a good fit for Rock radio, yet it got ignored there. It tried to make inroads at pop, but besides the repeated title, there wasn't much to really hook in listeners. It worked well for a film song, but if Stallone was looking for a Rocky-sized hit a la Survivor, this one was not it. The tune just wasn't all that memorable.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Beauvoir got his break in punk rock and he stayed in rock music after with his solo efforts and work with artists like Kiss and The Ramones. Later on he got offers to branch out to different areas of music and ended up writing songs for artists like Nona Hendryx, John Waite, and NSYNC. His 2003 solo album Chameleon even featured a co-write with Lionel Richie titled "I Wanna Know." Beauvoir has adapted as music tastes change and perhaps his most surprising venture has been in the world of K-Pop. He co-wrote a track for the K-Pop group Shinee's EP Everybody in 2013. The EP would reach #1 in Korea and #2 on the Billboard World Albums chart. Two years later, Beauvoir contributed to the debut solo EP by Shinee member Jonghyun. He co-wrote the song "Crazy (Guilty Pleasure)," which made it to #5 in Korea and #15 on the Billboard World Songs chart.  2) Prior to Beauvoir moving to NYC and joining up with The Plasmatics, he had been working in an entirely different style of music. In his mid-teens, Beauvoir was selected to be a member of the old doo-wop vocal group The Flamingos. That group's heyday was in the late 50s and early 60s when they scored several charting song including their #3 R&B/#11 Pop version of the classic standard "I Only Have Eyes for You." Over the years, the group would continue to tour with various members drifting in and out. Beauvoir became the youngest member to ever be in the group when he toured with them.

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