<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (April 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (April 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> "In the Heat of the Night" is a 1967 song performed by Ray Charles, composed by Quincy Jones, and written by Marilyn Bergman and Alan Bergman for the film In the Heat of the Night . As Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic states, the song "opens the film and accompanying soundtrack with a slice of real, rural backwoods gospel . Lyrically, one of the key lines is' In the heat of the night / I'm feeling motherless somehow,' which clearly illustrates the main character's dilemma of being in the wrong place at the wrong time . The main melody is guided by Charles' funky piano work and is buttressed by then - session ace Billy Preston's powerful, soulful organ trills . The underlying sense of drama that is so much a part of the film is reflected perfectly in this song, and the Ray Charles Singers add to this with a stately grace . It's perfect listening for a midsummer night when the temperature is just a bit too hot for comfort ." </P> <P> Released as a single by ABC Records, Charles' version of the song reached #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #21 on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart . The song was also released on the soundtrack album on United Artists in 1967 . </P>

Who sang the theme song for the heat of the night