Fire (Ohio Players song)
Encyclopedia
"Fire" is a hit song by R&B/funk band The Ohio Players. The song was released in late 1974 and it is the opening track from the album of the same name and peaked at the top of both the pop and soul charts. It spent one week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100
and five weeks at the top of the Hot Soul Singles chart in early 1975. "Fire" was the Ohio Players only entry on the new disco/dance chart, where it peaked at number ten. The song is today considered one of their signature songs.
The song was recorded at Mercury Record's
Chicago
-based studio. While performing it in California
, the band let Stevie Wonder
hear the basic track for the song and he predicted that it would become a big hit.
A cover of the song was released by Canadian New Wave
band Platinum Blonde
on their third album Contact
in 1987. Another cover, also from 1987, is featured on the album Rhythm Killers by Sly and Robbie
, produced by Bill Laswell
.
It is currently used as the theme song to the FOX
reality series Hell's Kitchen
.
The guitar solo break was sampled for Da Lench Mob
's rap "You and Your Heroes" from Guerillas in tha Mist
, and was also referenced in the song "Sweet Revenge" by the Japanese pop group Dreams Come True.
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and five weeks at the top of the Hot Soul Singles chart in early 1975. "Fire" was the Ohio Players only entry on the new disco/dance chart, where it peaked at number ten. The song is today considered one of their signature songs.
The song was recorded at Mercury Record's
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based studio. While performing it in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the band let Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
hear the basic track for the song and he predicted that it would become a big hit.
A cover of the song was released by Canadian New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band Platinum Blonde
Platinum Blonde (band)
Platinum Blonde is a Canadian New Wave group in the mid 1980s-early 1990s. The band originally consisted of Mark Holmes from Scarborough on vocals and bass, Sergio Galli on guitar and Chris Steffler on drums. Scottish musician Kenny MacLean later joined the group as the bassist. The name of the...
on their third album Contact
Contact (Platinum Blonde album)
Contact, the 3rd album from the new wave band Platinum Blonde, was released in 1987. Canadian sales of Alien Shores and Contact exceeded 100,000 copies....
in 1987. Another cover, also from 1987, is featured on the album Rhythm Killers by Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie is the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare who joined in the mid 1970s after having established themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians...
, produced by Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
.
It is currently used as the theme song to the FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
reality series Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen (U.S.)
Hell's Kitchen is an American reality-television cooking competition broadcast on Fox...
.
The guitar solo break was sampled for Da Lench Mob
Da Lench Mob
Da Lench Mob was a West Coast hip hop group associated with Ice Cube. The group consisted of rappers J-Dee, Shorty, T-Bone and Maulkie.-History:The group made its debut on Ice Cube's first solo album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted...
's rap "You and Your Heroes" from Guerillas in tha Mist
Guerillas in tha Mist
Guerillas in tha Mist is the debut album by Da Lench Mob, who originally appeared on Ice Cube's debut solo album, Amerikkka's Most Wanted. The titular "Guerillas in tha Mist" was a hit at the release of the album, which also appears in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, on the fictional...
, and was also referenced in the song "Sweet Revenge" by the Japanese pop group Dreams Come True.
Chart positions
| Charts | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 1 |