Sometimes it's a pleasant little campfire and other times it's a raging inferno, but songwriters just love those flaming lyrics - we have a whole category of songs where stuff is on fire.
It's usually a metaphor, but you'll see from this first example that sometimes the fire is quite real. Here are nine sizzling songs. Click the titles to land on the Songfacts entries.
It's usually a metaphor, but you'll see from this first example that sometimes the fire is quite real. Here are nine sizzling songs. Click the titles to land on the Songfacts entries.
1. "Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple (1972)
What's on Fire? The Montreux Casino
"They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound"
When showing appreciation for a band, lighters are OK, flare guns are not. During a Frank Zappa concert at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland, someone stupid with a flare gun made rock history when he ignited a fire that consumed the building. The casino burned, smoke rose off the water of Lake Geneva, and Deep Purple, who were supposed to record their Machine Head album after the concert, used the Rolling Stones mobile studio instead.
2. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" by The Beatles (1965)
What's on Fire? The Girl's Apartment
"And when I awoke, I was alone, this bird has flown
So I lit a fire, isn't it good Norwegian wood"
John Lennon later admitted to having various affairs while he was married to his first wife, Cynthia. "Norwegian Wood" is his therapy session, where he puts himself in the apartment of one of these girls, sleeps in the bathtub, then starts a fire. The smoke represents the smokescreen he put up to cover the affairs.
3. "Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon (2008)
What's on Fire? Sex
"Your sex is on fire
Consumed, with what's to transpire"
If AC/DC wrote this song, we'd know it was about a social disease, but Caleb Followill says it really is about the burning fire of love in the throes of passion.
4. "Burn One Down" by Ben Harper (1995)
What's on Fire? A Marijuana Cigarette
"Before you knock it, try it first
You'll see it's a blessing and it's not a curse"
Afroman was a silly stoner in "Because I Got High," and Rick James seemed a little too fixated on his "Mary Jane," but Ben Harper seems to have a healthy relationship with his herb. He points out the unifying power of a joint and makes the case that unlike traditional chemically-enhanced cigarettes, marijuana comes directly from the earth, and the earth is good.
5. "The Unforgettable Fire" by U2 (1984)
What's on Fire? Hiroshima
"And if the mountain should crumble or disappear into the sea
Not a tear, no not I"
The Unforgettable Fire is an exhibit at the Chicago Peace Museum featuring drawings from survivors of the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. U2 lifted the title of the exhibit for the name of their album, and wrote this song to go with it. It's typical Bono, with lyrics that could describe a relationship with God or a girlfriend.
6. "The Roof Is On Fire" by Rockmaster Scott & The Dynamic Three (1984)
What's on Fire? The Roof
"The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire
We don't need no water let the motherf--ker burn"
The roof represents confinement, so if you can somehow get rid of the roof, by maybe raising it or setting it on fire, then you're free. Parliament would just Tear the Roof off the Sucker to get to the funk, but these guys celebrated its burn. This was back in the day when the DJ was the star (think Grandmaster Flash), and his rappers were generally hype-men. So Rockmaster Scott would whip the crowd into a frenzy with his turntable magic, and the crowd would shout back the famous chant. In an attempt to make the song broadcast-friendly, they recorded a new version in 1985 without the cursing.
7. "Flight Of Icarus" by Iron Maiden (1983)
What's on Fire? Icarus' Wings
"On your way, like an eagle,
Fly and touch the sun."
According to the Greek myth, Deadallus and his son Icarus escape the prison of King Minos by flying away on wax wings. Icarus gets a little carried away though, and keeps flying higher until the sun melts his wings and he plummets to his death. Iron Maiden changes things a bit, with Deadallus encouraging his son to fly ever higher and meet his doom.
8. "I'm On Fire" by Bruce Springsteen (1984)
What's on Fire? A Guy Who Can't Sleep
"At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet
and a freight train running through the middle of my head"
The guy Springsteen sings about in this one has it so bad for some girl that he wakes up with night sweats thinking about her. Bruce portrayed this guy in the video, where we learn that he's an auto mechanic with strong feelings for a classy married woman who keeps bringing her car in for him to work on.
9. "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps (1976)
What's on Fire? The Dance Floor
"The folks are flaming, out of control
It was so entertainin', when the boogie started to explode"
John Travolta burned up the dance floor to this song in Saturday Night Fever, but it was the 1974 movie The Towering Inferno that inspired the lyrics. Burn, baby, burn!
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