Song Lyric Sunday: Fire

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As that image may remind you, we celebrate today, 5th November, here in the UK as Guy Fawkes Night, aka Bonfire Night, when all over the country there will be bonfires and fireworks. This is to mark a failed attempt in 1605 to blow up the Houses of Parliament, though I think a successful attempt might be cause for more celebration nowadays. The details of this are well documented so I won’t bore you with them here, but if you want to know more there is a good article in Wikipedia which draws on a number of authoritative sources to give a full description of the plot and its aftermath. I have often played relevant tunes for today, but it is Song Lyric Sunday day, so what should I do? The theme Jim has given us for today, in his post Lesser-Known Piece Of Music, is underrated deep album cuts, so is there a song that fits that bill and mentions fire in its title? Of course there is! This one:

And if you need them, here are the lyrics:

I’m drivin’ in my car, you turn on the radio
I’m pullin’ you close, but you just say no
You say you don’t like it, but girl I know you’re a liar
Cause when we kiss, ooh, fire

Late at night, I’m taking you home
I say I want to stay, you say you want to be alone
You say you don’t need me, but you can’t hide your desire
Cause when we kiss, ooh, fire

You’ve had a hold on me right from the start
I felt so sad, I couldn’t tear it apart
Got my nerves all jumpin’, actin’ like a fool
Cause your kisses they burn, but your heart stays cool

Romeo and Juliet, Samson and Delilah
Baby, you can bet the love they couldn’t deny
Well, now your words say split, but your words they lie
Cause when we kiss, ooh, fire

Oh, oh, fire
Fire
Oh, oh, fire
Oh, oh, fire

Source: LyricFind (amended by me for errors!)

Songwriters: Bruce Springsteen

Fire lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Bruce Springsteen originally saw this as a song that could have been sung by Elvis Presley, of whom he was a fan.  It was written after he saw Elvis perform at a May 28, 1977 concert at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. Bruce has been quoted as saying “I sent Elvis a demo of it but he died before it arrived.” He completed his own recording on 17 June 1977 as part of the sessions which became his June 1978 album Darkness On The Edge Of Town, but this song wasn’t included on it. And Bruce’s studio version stayed there until November 2010, when it was eventually released as part of the box set The Promise, which was a collection of previously unreleased songs from those sessions, some of which – like this one – had a newly recorded vocal. I think thirty three years from recording to release qualifies this song for the description of ‘deep cut,’ don’t you?

To be completely accurate Bruce had released a version of this song before: a live recording from December 1978 which was part of the triple album Live 1975-85, which came out in November 1986. This isn’t the actual recording that was used for that album, but it was from the same tour:

That Houston concert from December 1978 was also issued as a live album from the Bruce Springsteen Archives in September 2017, so I think it fair to say that he has got the mileage out of this one! Despite his initial disinterest in releasing his own version Bruce was reportedly upset when the Pointer Sisters’ version reached #2 in the US in February 1979, as at that point his own most successful single was Born to Run, which had reached #23 in 1975: he made up for that when Dancing In The Dark matched the Pointers by getting to #2 in 1984. Fun fact: he has never had a #1 single in either the US or the UK. For the sake of completeness, and because I like their version too, here is the one that reached #2 in the US and earned itself a gold disc along the way, with lyrics suitably changed for gender:

That’s all for today. I’m off to listen to all the twats letting off fireworks through the day and well into the night, though hopefully the price of the things will have deterred a few this year. And tomorrow is a schoolday, so that may also put a few off, especially if they’re like Ivanka Trump.

See you again for Tuesday Tunes 😊🎶

40 thoughts on “Song Lyric Sunday: Fire”

  1. I haven’t heard Bruce’s version of fire I do prefer the Pointer Sisters version which I know…We don’t have bonfire night here but fireworks are used for most occassions I think for the dogs here they have just got used to fireworks going off at different times and they don’t worry them. I hope you are keeping well. Clive xx

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    • I like both versions. I had the live triple album so knew it from there and Bruce’s studio version is good too. I think most would be more familiar with the Pointer Sisters though – which is why I chose the song for the theme! I think fireworks have their place, and it isn’t 10am on a Tuesday morning, as some clown has just done here! I’m doing ok thanks, Carol, and hope all is good with you xx

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  4. We woke in the morning to no flaming garden sheds so a quiet night in our hood, comparatively. Good tune; the Pointer Sisters heard a decent hit on this album track. Great chorus, great build, good spare storytelling. Hey, all the Bruce hallmarks.

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    • It’s noisy here at the moment but no fires yet – the rain would probably stop them anyway.

      It’s definitely a Bruce song, but I’ve always liked the Pointer Sisters’ version too.

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  5. This is going to shock you, but I actually DO remember this song, and while I probably remember the Pointer Sisters’ version best, I’m fairly certain I had also heard Springsteen’s. Now what DID shock me was reading that Springsteen has never had a #1 hit in either the U.S. of the UK! Good choice for your Song Lyric Sunday post, my friend!

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  6. Good choice. I well remember the Pointer Sisters version of this. Didn’t realise it was Springsteen though.
    Yeah, we have idiots letting off fireworks and they have been since Nov 1st. Chances are they’ll continue until after New Year if other years are anything to go by. I wish the damn things were banned. Local displays were cancelled but private gatherings are in full force. Cue relaxing music for Maya who is not impressed, and although not ‘fussing’, a lot of dogs are barking and that is disturbing her.

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