Radioactive (The Firm song)
Encyclopedia
"Radioactive" is a song by English
rock band
The Firm. It was the first single released from their eponymous début album The Firm
, where it was the fifth track. It was written by Paul Rodgers
.
A compact and straightforward rock song from the 1980s, structured with Tony Franklin
's fretless bass hook at the beginning, combined with Page's guitar scratch on the third line in the verse, Rodgers' reverbed vocal, and followed by a wah pedal
inflected guitar solo. Chris Slade
plays a steady drum beat throughout. On live performances, the song was introduced with a drum solo from Slade, leading into Franklin's opening bass line. Page utilized his brown 1960s Fender Telecaster
guitar featuring a Parsons and White B-string bender
on tour with this song.
Their self-titled album, appearing on Atlantic Records, cracked the Billboard Top 20 on the strength of this single. Jimmy Page broke with the past and participated in the recording for the promotional film clip and single, the first time he had done both since the late 1960s. Page can be seen miming to the recording with his famous red doubleneck 1971 Gibson EDS-1275 guitar. In March 1985, MTV
began heavily promoting the video clip, although the track was a modest seller, reaching #28 in America and topping the Top Rock Tracks chart for one week. "Radioactive" was also released as a 12" single and limited edition picture disc.
Paul Rodgers stills performs this song during his solo sets and it appears on the 2007 Paul Rodgers: Live In Glasgow DVD.
1985 12" special mix edition (US: Atlantic 86896, UK: Atlantic A-9586T)
1985 12" single (UK: Atlantic A-9586TE)
1986 7" single reissue (US: Atlantic Oldies Series 7-84966)
Additional personnel:
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
The Firm. It was the first single released from their eponymous début album The Firm
The Firm (album)
-Accolades:-Album:-Singles:-Album:-Band:*Paul Rodgers - Vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, producer*Jimmy Page - Acoustic and electric guitars, producer*Tony Franklin - Bass guitar, keyboards, synthesizer...
, where it was the fifth track. It was written by Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
.
A compact and straightforward rock song from the 1980s, structured with Tony Franklin
Tony Franklin (musician)
Anthony James "Tony" Franklin is an English rock musician, best known for his work on the fretless bass guitar with Roy Harper, The Firm, Jimmy Page, John Sykes' Blue Murder, Whitesnake and briefly, with Quiet Riot.-Fretless bass:...
's fretless bass hook at the beginning, combined with Page's guitar scratch on the third line in the verse, Rodgers' reverbed vocal, and followed by a wah pedal
Wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, mimicking the human voice...
inflected guitar solo. Chris Slade
Chris Slade
Chris Slade is a Welsh rock drummer.-Career:Slade has worked with Gary Numan, Tom Jones, Olivia Newton-John , and Uriah Heep. He was a member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1972 to 1978...
plays a steady drum beat throughout. On live performances, the song was introduced with a drum solo from Slade, leading into Franklin's opening bass line. Page utilized his brown 1960s Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
guitar featuring a Parsons and White B-string bender
B-Bender
B-Bender is a guitar accessory that enables a player to mechanically bend the B-string up a whole tone to C-sharp. There are several different designs, but all use levers or pulleys inside or outside the guitar body that are activated by a pull or push of the guitar neck, body, or bridge...
on tour with this song.
Their self-titled album, appearing on Atlantic Records, cracked the Billboard Top 20 on the strength of this single. Jimmy Page broke with the past and participated in the recording for the promotional film clip and single, the first time he had done both since the late 1960s. Page can be seen miming to the recording with his famous red doubleneck 1971 Gibson EDS-1275 guitar. In March 1985, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
began heavily promoting the video clip, although the track was a modest seller, reaching #28 in America and topping the Top Rock Tracks chart for one week. "Radioactive" was also released as a 12" single and limited edition picture disc.
Paul Rodgers stills performs this song during his solo sets and it appears on the 2007 Paul Rodgers: Live In Glasgow DVD.
Formats and tracklistings
1985 7" single (US: Atlantic 7-89586, UK: Atlantic A-9586)- A. "Radioactive" (Rodgers) 2:49
- B. "Together" (Page, Rodgers) 3:54
1985 12" special mix edition (US: Atlantic 86896, UK: Atlantic A-9586T)
- A. "Radioactive (Special Mix)" (Rodgers) 5:49
- B1. "City Sirens (Live)" (Page, Edwards) 2:01
- B2. "Live in Peace (Live)" (Rodgers) 5:05
1985 12" single (UK: Atlantic A-9586TE)
- A1. "Radioactive" (Rodgers) 2:49
- A2. "Together" (Page, Rodgers) 3:54
- B1. "City Sirens (Live)" (Page, Edwards) 2:01
- B2. "Live in Peace (Live)" (Rodgers) 5:05
1986 7" single reissue (US: Atlantic Oldies Series 7-84966)
- A. "Radioactive" (Rodgers) 2:49
- B. "All the King's Horses" (Rodgers) 3:16
Single
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 76 |
| US Billboard Top Rock Tracks | 1 |
| US Radio & Records Top 40 Singles | 27 |
| US Billboard The 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... |
28 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 Singles | 28 |
| Canadian RPM Top 100 | 75 |
Band
- Paul RodgersPaul RodgersPaul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
- Vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, producer - Jimmy PageJimmy PageJames Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
- Acoustic and electric guitars, producer - Tony FranklinTony Franklin (musician)Anthony James "Tony" Franklin is an English rock musician, best known for his work on the fretless bass guitar with Roy Harper, The Firm, Jimmy Page, John Sykes' Blue Murder, Whitesnake and briefly, with Quiet Riot.-Fretless bass:...
- Bass guitar, keyboards, synthesizer - Chris SladeChris SladeChris Slade is a Welsh rock drummer.-Career:Slade has worked with Gary Numan, Tom Jones, Olivia Newton-John , and Uriah Heep. He was a member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1972 to 1978...
- Drums and percussion, backing vocals
Additional personnel:
- Stuart EppsStuart EppsStuart Epps is a British record producer and audio engineer. During his career, he has worked with: Kiki Dee, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Oasis, Twisted Sister and Chris Rea...
- Engineer - Steve Privett - Tape operator, tea, gin and tonics
- Gordon Vicary - Mastering
- Steve Maher - Cover artwork
See also
- List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)