“I’m On Fire” was the fourth single from American rock musician Bruce Springsteen’s seventh studio album “Born in the U.S.A”. The track is the sixth on his 12 track length album, and was written fairly spontaneously. Springsteen simply started playing a slower tune on his guitar for some lyrics for a track titled “Spanish Eyes” that he had written (which were later released on a 2012 album called “The Promise”), while drummer Max Weinberg and keyboardist Roy Bittan joined in and improvised, hearing the track for the first time. The track’s sultry and blatantly sexual lyrics such as “Tell me now baby, is he good to you? / Can he do to you the things that I can do?”, as well as the beat and slowness of the track, creates sexual tension throughout the song and creates an atmosphere for the listener. “I’m on Fire” was also one of the first tracks that featured synthesizers.
The music video was directed by filmmaker John Sayles and was shot in March 1985. Rather than the video being a performance clip like Springsteen’s pervious music videos, it was a interpretation of the track and it’s prominent theme. Springsteen plays a car mechanic and is in charge of fixing a female customer’s vintage Ford Thunderbird car, as she always requests Springsteen to fix the vehicle. She leaves a pair of keys in the house, which leads the viewer to believe that she may be hinting at a possible affair with him. Springsteen declines the offer to bring the car to her house when it is fixed, but later in the evening he drives the car to the female customer’s house. Springsteen looks up longingly at a window with the light on, goes to ring a bell but changes his mind, dropping the female customer’s keys into her mailbox. The music video was uploaded to Bruce Springsteen’s YouTube channel in October 2009, and as of March 2019 the video has almost 41 million views.
Release Date: 6th February 1985
Songwriter/s: Bruce Springsteen
Producer/s: Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Bruce Springsteen & Steven Van Zandt
Music Video Release Date: 25th October 2009
Music Video Director: John Sayles
Chart Rankings & Awards: In its year of release, “I’m On Fire”, went to #1 in the charts in Belgium and the Netherlands. It went to #12 in Australia and Canada, #6 in the US, #5 in the UK, #10 in New Zealand and #9 in Finland. The music video for the track won the MTV Video Music Award for “Best Male Video” in 1985.
maureen wheat
June 21, 2021 at 10:26 pm
I’m on fire. Bruce is the only songwriter who does not abuse women in his songs. He takes up for them. When he feel a ‘road’ he offers to share it with a woman. When he has feeling for a woman, the choice is always hers. Unlike Kris Christopherson lyrics, which are the really nice for the most part, he makes no secret of an aggressive sexual win. Bruce is who you want your kids to hear—– A MAN, A RESPECTUFUL MAN, A GENEROUS HEARTED MAN, A MAN WHO UNDERSTANDS THE (male erotica) BUT DOES NOT EVER EXPLOIT IT. Aside from Handle’s “Messiah” there is no better, and consistent song writer than “The Boss”.