Fire On Fire

“Fire on Fire” is a track written by English pop singer Sam Smith for the Netflix reboot of the 1972 novel “Watership Down” written by Richard Adams. “Watership Down” is a classic tale about the sad tale of a herd of rabbits and their home getting destroyed in the same titled town as the book.

The track was recorded with the BBC Concert Orchestra at London’s infamous Abbey Road Studios in September 2018. Smith told Rolling Stone magazine: “I am so excited and honored to be a part of this new adaptation of Watership Down. This story is so powerful and timeless, and it has been thrilling to work with director Noam Murro and his team and the incredible Steve Mac on this song for it. I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.” The track focuses on the strength between two people and how their desire and motivation would normally kill them: “Fire on fire would normally kill us / But this much desire, together we’re winners / They say that we’re out of control and some say we’re sinners / But don’t let them ruin out beautiful rhythms”. The song emphasises the power of love and the strength of it, even if everything is against them, which matches up some of the many occurring themes in the original novel. The song has received a positive critical reception, with Gil Kaufman from Billboard music stating that the track is a “haunting and stirring ballad”, as well as the emotional track tapping into the story’s “roller-coaster of fear, hope, and friendship.”

The music video for the track was released the day before the track was officially released, on the 20th December 2018. The music video features clips from the animated series, with the rabbits in various situations and circumstances from the story. The video was produced by Sue Caldwell and directed by Vaughan Arnell, and has over 45 million views on YouTube since its upload.

Release Date: 21st December 2018

Songwriter/s: Sam Smith & Steve Mac

Producer/s: Steve Mac

Label/s: Capitol

Music Video Release Date: 20th December 2018

Music Video Director: Vaughan Arnell

Chart Rankings: The track reached #2 in the charts in the Netherlands, reaching #63 in the UK Singles charts, and made its way over to Australia and New Zealand.