Fire (Arthur Brown song)

"Fire" is a 1968 song written by Arthur Brown, Vincent Crane, Mike Finesilver, and Peter Ker.^[1] Performed by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, it was released as a single and on the band's debut album, also called The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. The single reached no.1 in the UK (in August 1968)^[1] and in Canada. In October, it reached no.2 in the US Billboard charts and no.19 in Australia. It also got to no.3 in Germany, no.4 in France, no.6 in the Netherlands, no.7 in Austria, no.8 in Ireland, and no.18 in Finland. "Fire" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.^[2]

The song is an example of the psychedelic rock of the period, though its lack of guitars or bass guitar^[3] distinguished it from many of its contemporaries. The lead instrument in this case was Vincent Crane's Hammond organ, augmented by an orchestral section featuring prominent brass. The singer's opening proclamation of himself as "the god of hellfire" became a lasting catchphrase. The song ends with the sound of a wind from hell.

During live performances and in the black and white promotional television clip, Brown performed the song wearing a burning helmet. The helmet was improvised with a leather skull cap onto which was bolted a metal dish that held lighter fluid or petrol. As the cap was not insulated, the heat from the burning fuel quickly conducted through the fixing bolt to the top of Brown's head, causing him considerable pain.^[4]

Two studio mixes of "Fire" have been officially released, one in stereo and one in mono. The mono mix features no brass. Both versions are included on the CD reissue of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. The single B-side, "Rest Cure", was another track from the album.

Credit for the composition of "Fire" on the original vinyl single was to Arthur Brown and Vincent Crane only; however, Mike Finesilver and Peter Ker successfully sued for co-credit and royalties based on melodic similarities to their song "Baby, You're a Long Way Behind".^[5]

In Ronnie Wood's radioshow of 14 November 2011, both Wood and Alice Cooper claim that the bass is performed by Ron Wood,^[6] but Polly Marshall's biography of Arthur Brown states that "According to the-faces.com, Ronnie claims he played on the Track Records studio sessions recording Fire, but he must have confused it with the BBC session [of 8 April 1968]."^[7] There is no bass guitar on the recording, only bass pedals.

Personnel

Arthur Brown – vocals
Vincent Crane – keyboards, orchestral arrangement
Drachen Theaker – drums

Cover versions

The Ventures covered the song on their 1969 album Underground Fire.
Yuya Uchida & The Flowers as a bonus track on the 2007 edition of their 1969 album Challenge!.^[8]
Lizzy Mercier Descloux covered "Fire" on her album Press Color (1979), drastically changing the mood and style of the track.
Pete Townshend, the single's associate producer, covered "Fire" (with The Who) on his 1989 album The Iron Man: A Musical.
Industrial metal band Die Krupps collaborated with The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown on a cover which appeared on their 1997 album Paradise Now.
Heavy metal band Cirith Ungol covered the song on their 1991 album Paradise Lost.

Sampled

References

1 2 3 4 5 Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 119. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
↑ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 236. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
↑ the pounding bass was made with bass pedals played by Vincent Crane
↑ Polly Marshall, The God Of Hellfire, the Crazy Life and Times of Arthur Brown, ISBN 0-946719-77-2, SAF Publishing, 2005, page 60
↑ John Kutner & Spencer Leigh (2005). The 1000 UK Number One Hits: p.142
↑ "Show 81". Ronnie Wood Radio. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
↑ Polly Marshall, The God Of Hellfire, the Crazy Life and Times of Arthur Brown, ISBN 0-946719-77-2, SAF Publishing, 2005, page 64
↑ "内田裕也とフラワーズ : CHALLENGE!". Amazon.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2016-04-24.

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Preceded by "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells	UK number-one single 14 August 1968	Succeeded by "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells

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