Hang Fire
Encyclopedia
"Hang Fire" is a song by rock and roll
band The Rolling Stones
off their 1981 album Tattoo You
.
Written by Mick Jagger
and Keith Richards
, "Hang Fire" is a fast-paced, up-tempo surfer style rock and roll track, which betrays the happy beat with sharp, satirical lyrics directed squarely at England's economic decline through the 1970s.
The song is a bleak look at English society at the time, where labour unrest was common and high taxes prevented growth. The lyrics parody the English economy
, lamenting an unemployed working class Englishman
who would rather bet on the horses than try to marry into the upper class, the only way to get ahead in English society.
The song is one of the few times the band wrote an overtly political song, and it is notable that it was never released as a single in England, even though the band was touring Europe during the single's North American release. The lyrical irony and commentary on English society harkens back to some of the group's more socially contentious songs of the sixties like "Mother's Little Helper
", "19th Nervous Breakdown
" and "Street Fighting Man
".
Richards was asked about the track in a 1981 Rolling Stone magazine interview where he admits the track relates to England and the "ugly politicians" who had caused the country to decline when the "money got tight."
The title expression "hang fire", (by formal definition) means to do nothing, to delay, wait, hold back, or hesitate.
But in more casual, slang use, "hang fire" means to "chill, relax, kick back, take it easy, or act lazy" -- as in "Hey man, let's hang fire later tonight."
"Hang Fire" was first written and recorded during the Some Girls
sessions in Paris
. Released as the third single from Tattoo You, the song became a radio hit in the US, where it reached #20 on the singles chart.
.
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
off their 1981 album Tattoo You
Tattoo You
Tattoo You is the 16th British and 18th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1981. The follow-up to Emotional Rescue, it proved to be a big critical and commercial success...
.
Written by Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
and Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, "Hang Fire" is a fast-paced, up-tempo surfer style rock and roll track, which betrays the happy beat with sharp, satirical lyrics directed squarely at England's economic decline through the 1970s.
The song is a bleak look at English society at the time, where labour unrest was common and high taxes prevented growth. The lyrics parody the English economy
Winter of Discontent
The "Winter of Discontent" is an expression, popularised by the British media, referring to the winter of 1978–79 in the United Kingdom, during which there were widespread strikes by local authority trade unions demanding larger pay rises for their members, because the Labour government of...
, lamenting an unemployed working class Englishman
Englishman
Englishman may refer to:*English people*Grey Partridge*Jason Englishman, Canadian rock music singer and guitarist*Jenny-Bea Englishman, real name of the Canadien singer Esthero*Erald Briscoe, reggae musician who records under the name Englishman...
who would rather bet on the horses than try to marry into the upper class, the only way to get ahead in English society.
The song is one of the few times the band wrote an overtly political song, and it is notable that it was never released as a single in England, even though the band was touring Europe during the single's North American release. The lyrical irony and commentary on English society harkens back to some of the group's more socially contentious songs of the sixties like "Mother's Little Helper
Mother's Little Helper
"Mother's Little Helper" is a song by the English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones. It first appeared as the opening track to the United Kingdom version of their 1966 album Aftermath....
", "19th Nervous Breakdown
19th Nervous Breakdown
"19th Nervous Breakdown" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones.The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards during their 1965 tour of the United States. The song was recorded during the Aftermath sessions between 3 and 8 December 1965 at RCA Recording Studios in Hollywood,...
" and "Street Fighting Man
Street Fighting Man
"Street Fighting Man" is a song by English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones featured on their 1968 album Beggars Banquet. Called the band's "most political song", Rolling Stone ranked the song #295 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.-Inspiration:Originally titled and recorded...
".
Richards was asked about the track in a 1981 Rolling Stone magazine interview where he admits the track relates to England and the "ugly politicians" who had caused the country to decline when the "money got tight."
The title expression "hang fire", (by formal definition) means to do nothing, to delay, wait, hold back, or hesitate.
But in more casual, slang use, "hang fire" means to "chill, relax, kick back, take it easy, or act lazy" -- as in "Hey man, let's hang fire later tonight."
"Hang Fire" was first written and recorded during the Some Girls
Some Girls
Some Girls is the 14th British and 16th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1978 on Rolling Stones Records, catalogue COC 39108...
sessions in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Released as the third single from Tattoo You, the song became a radio hit in the US, where it reached #20 on the singles chart.
Uses in popular culture
"Hang Fire" is heard (edited) in the 2010 movie The Bounty HunterThe Bounty Hunter (2010 film)
The Bounty Hunter is a 2010 American action comedy film directed by Andy Tennant, starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. The story centers on a bounty hunter hired to retrieve his ex-wife who has skipped bail...
.