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I'm On Fire - Bruce Springsteen



Listen to I'm On Fire

Amongst one of the most diverse and wide-ranging back catalogues to ever exist, ‘I’m On Fire’ sticks out like the subtlest of sore thumbs within Bruce Springsteen’s arsenal of fire-powered rock and roll hits.


Released in February 1985, it was the fourth single to be taken from the wonderful ‘Born in the USA’. Peaking at number five in the UK Singles Charts, it is a brooding, lustful pine to a female that is out of bounds. Even on a record as bombastic as ‘Born in the USA’, it is ‘I’m On Fire’ which lingers far longer in the memory than the more obvious ear worms like the title track or ‘Dancing in The Dark’.


Springsteen has always captured the insecurity behind male bravado with a knowing ease but has not done so before or since more perfectly than ‘I’m On Fire’. For all the braggadocio (“Can he do to you the things that I do? I can take you higher”), he still subtly admits his insecurity and incapacity to do anything about it (“At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet, and a freight train running through the middle of my head. Only you can cool my desire”). For all the knowing masculine nods, it still encapsulates a universal theme of loneliness and helplessness.


Sonically, there are seldom few tracks which capture the lyrical tones quite like this. The production is sparse, and it is an airy synth which carries the track throughout, rather than the electrifying guitars or blasting saxophones like many Springsteen staples. Even Max Weinberg’s drum part, usually such a booming presence, is stripped back in the mix, merely providing metronomic purpose. This strips the frontman and his lyrics to the bare bones, exposing the brutal honesty and tense focus of the protagonist. Springsteen’s vocals are low-key by his standards, and purr more than his standard roar. As he sings “I got a bad desire” with a knowing ominousness, it encapsulates the dark undertones which are rife throughout.


The legacy of the track has lived on through many acts covering it, especially during live sets where it is seen as an opportunity for a stripped-back cover song. Pop megastar Lorde has performed it as a regular staple on tour, and the likes of John Mayer and Bat for Lashes and The Staves have all included their own versions as bonus tracks on their albums. One of the most haunting versions is included on tribute album ‘Born in The USA Revisited’ where Minnesota three-piece Low capture the essence of the song perfectly, adding their own miserable-yet-strangely-uplifting slant to it. In 2018 Rolling Stone magazine named ‘I’m On Fire’ at number twenty-one in their list of Springsteen’s best ever songs.


The beauty of ‘I’m On Fire’ is its versatility to suit all moods. Whether it’s late at night, where the minimalism helps to ease those insomnia-drenched thoughts that won’t disappear, or watching it performed in front of a packed stadium, the song still oozes sheer beauty and never fails to pack an emotional punch. It is a song which showcases the versatility of one of the greatest songwriters to ever live, and is (rightfully) universally rated highly amongst The Boss’ notoriously dedicated following.


GM

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