Album · Stan Ridgway
The Big Heat by Stan Ridgway
The Big Heat is an album by Stan Ridgway, released in 1985. 2 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 4 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Drive, She Said”, on 3 lists with a best position of #78.
The Big Heat, Stan Ridgway's first solo album after fronting Wall of Voodoo, came out on I.R.S., and it takes its title from the 1953 film noir, which suits a singer who tells stories in song the way a director frames a shot. Mitchell Froom, Joe Chiccarelli and Hugh Jones share the production with Ridgway himself, and the sound is new wave gone cinematic: moody synths, shadowy space and that distinctive, deadpan voice spinning its yarns.
"Drive, She Said" is the one that stuck around on rock radio's countdowns, while "Camouflage" became a number 4 hit in the UK. The original release ran nine songs; a 1993 reissue added six more, and it came back again in 2007.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from The Big Heat on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drive, She Said | 3 | #78 | – | 1986–1991 | |
| 2 | The Big Heat | 1 | #348 | – | 1989 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.