On Fire

Album: Rebirth (2009)
Charted: 62
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This third single from American rapper Lil Wayne's seventh studio album Rebirth was produced by Miami production duo Cool & Dre. Cool explained the song's lyrical content to MTV News: "He's talking about a chick that's on fire. He's on his knees praying to the Lord to keep him clear because she's on fire. He's got a bad one! She's that bad that's she might have came straight outta hell."
  • The song borrows from American pop rock singer Amy Holland's "She's on Fire" from Giorgio Moroder's soundtrack for the 1983 movie, Scarface. Dre discussed the sample with MTV News: "If you speak to Wayne, Wayne will tell you the reason why he loves the record is he gets to do everything on the record. He gets to spit on the record, he gets to sing on the record, he gets to play the guitar on the record. One night I was watching Scarface, and I woke up in the morning, had the damn 'She's on Fire' in my head. I called up Cool, like, 'Yo, we gotta flip this.' The way the sample was, you couldn't flip it. It's like a disco song, but you hear the guitars. I was like, 'We should put this sh-- on steroids and turn it all the way up. Throw some 808s on it and really crank this sh-- up.' We redid the whole beat and kept the 'she's on fire' [vocal sample]. We gave it to Wayne. Wayne is the Fireman, so it's perfect. But we heard it after he did it - we didn't know he was gonna kill the guitar like he did."
  • Wayne plays the guitar on this track. Dre told MTV News: "It's never us producing a beat for Wayne. It's a collaboration. It's always a collaboration. It's not like, 'OK, make a beat.' We're making the music with him in mind and the sh-- he does, [thinking,] 'He'll probably rap; make the music change here.' When we gave him the Pro Tools, he goes in and he amplifies the beat. That song has drops all over it where hits the guitar. Music is so f---ing boring right now. It's good to wake muthaf---as up. Wayne sings on it, he spits on it, and he plays the guitar on it. He gives you everything on one record where his mind is at right now."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")Songwriter Interviews

A top country songwriter, Barry talks about writing hits for Little Big Town, Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean.

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.