Like or dislike: Fire Burning

[skcin]

Nice little ditty. The lyrics are a mess. :laugh: But it's OK. Nothing special, not emotionally powerful. I blame Rupert, which is what I usually do. Just because.

There is no fire burning, just a soul crying. OK, Stevie. :shrug:

And I don't find it strange that her eyes were bright - there's a fire! Of course her eyes would be bright, there's nothing strange about it! :p

I do love this verse:

I will...you know
So I take it to the limit
I will...you know...as I always have
I understand your position...
I withdraw my decision
Well I've got no more information for you

Not because the lyrics in that verse are good. :D Cuz they're not. But the way the lines flow with the music is pleasing to my ear & I like her vocal delivery.

The song is pretty fun to sing along to. But I wouldn't care to hear it live, and if I were making someone a "best of Stevie" mix CD, this would not be on it.

[Rickypt]

I do not like this song and I still scratch my head wondering how songs like this made it on an album. That's just me.

I do like these two lines, though. Not the lyrics, but how they sound.

So cry for me take a little time and then stop
It's just something that you cannot see so stop

[amber]

:lol:

Nice categories.

This is one of my three favorite songs on the album. I think the lyrics do have an emotional impact, at least they definitely speak to me.
"You know, it's an illusion - there is no fire burning just a soul crying" is very deep to me. I'm not saying that's right, I'm just saying that's how I feel. :laugh:
I love the music, too, because it's fast and jouncy.
mmkay, I'm kind of late, I know you like people to explain why or why not they like or dislike - I'll have to resume later...besides, "Refugee" just came on the radio.:woohoo:

[Rickypt]

I know you like people to explain why or why not they like or dislike

Oh I have to explain?

Because I think the lyrics are second rate. It comes across to me (like many on this ablum) like a slew of lines that are trying to be deep, but aren't. I know they mean something to her, but I just don't get or feel it.

The music is relatively catchy, but not enough for me to like it. I especially don't like the end where she says "There's no fi-re, there is no fi-re"

[Sahara]

Hmm. Depends what day of the week it is on this one for me, really. At best, yes, it's kinda fun. At worst ... :( I can't understand either how it got on the album.

When I first heard it I always thought it was about some sort of delusional individual who imagined fires and ended up refusing rescue from a fire that didn't exist ... "I'll get down she said" ... I don't know. Tis odd.

Not a winner I'm afraid.

[Rickypt]

^ I love your signature, but I think Simon's been spinning for almost as long as Stevie.

[JazmenFlowers]

Paula, again, you've selected my favorite lyrics from a song. weird.

I love where her inspiration from this song comes from...how funny when you really listen to the lyrics.

I like this song, yeah, it's not something I'd play to win someone over to the dark side, but it's a cutesy song. fun to sing along to. and everytime someone asks that damn question "if your house was on fire, what would you take?" I think of this song and sing it in my head.

nothing more.

[ELIUD]

I like this song a lot and find it to be mostly amusing. Wasn't this written about a fire at her neighbors home that she thought was coming from her garage or somewhere in her own house? She freaked and went running around the house looking for things to carry out, then realized there was no fire or no real danger. I think it's all an allegory for her mental state at the time, about how things may have really seemed worse than they were. The kolonopin was taking hold of her and she was kind of crazy...and constantly talking herself down from her craziness.

So still there is a fire...that no one sees
She doesn't even see it either
Or so everyone thinks (my favorite line)
But then again, there was a window
You know it's an illusion
There is no fire burning...just a soul crying

Yep she was nuts.

[David]

The opening two bars are promising (for you nonmusicians, that's about 5 seconds on the stopwatch), but the track goes downhill from there.

The words mean nothing to me--even if I try to read them goofily or pour them into all sorts of weird thematic molds. They're still just Jell-O.

But I don't hate it. When I used to listen to this 1989 album, I'd just let "Fire Burning" play through. It was just background noise that didn't bother me.

The whole album really could have been a shlock masterpiece if Stevie had left in all those melodramatic, lugubrious sagas set against smooth jazz horns. Can you imagine an "Other Side of the Mirror" with "Tragedy of One's Own Soul," "Don't Treat Me Like a Stranger," "Dial the Number" & the toe-tapping, glorious "Beautiful Ghost/The Crystal"?

What a great album it could have been with that sort of material instead of stuff that just plops itself down so squarely, like "Fire Burning" & "Cry Wolf" & "I Still Miss Someone" & "Whole Lotta Trouble"--all just a bunch of 4-minute-pop-song, Richard Marx soundalikes.

Ahhh. . . the album that might have been . . .

[JazmenFlowers]

Can you imagine an "Other Side of the Mirror" with "Tragedy of One's Own Soul," "Don't Treat Me Like a Stranger," "Dial the Number" & the toe-tapping, glorious "Beautiful Ghost/The Crystal"?
that would have been wonderful. it's interesting you say that b/c I just switched to Dial the Number.

[Sahara]

^ I love your signature, but I think Simon's been spinning for almost as long as Stevie.

Hehe :D Quite possibly but you can imagine my delight to see the Notorious video -- tambourines, spinning ....
All we need is for Nick to break out the platforms and lace shawls and we're laughing. :p

[David]

Where was the live video of "The Reflex" filmed & when?

[DavidMn]

I like it. I've sure heard worse.:nod:

[Rickypt]

Where was the live video of "The Reflex" filmed & when?

I'm pretty sure Oakland Coliseum (indoor) and I'll guess early '84.

[David]

I'm pretty sure Oakland Coliseum (indoor) and I'll guess early '84.
TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO, Ryan...can you believe it?? :eek: :eek:

[Rickypt]

TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO, Ryan...can you believe it?? :eek: :eek:

Believe me, I've been thinking quite a bit about how many years have gone by since various events and for the first time in my life I'm starting to feel old. I wanted to go to this DD show, but I was still in trouble for staying too late at Stevie's Wild Heart show a few months earlier. :laugh:

[foxyluva]

I like the song - the lyrics are great, but the music is just plain bad

[nightbird89]

This is the one song that i don't care for on osotm. it's just annoying, and the intro annoys me even more. there r good lyrics tho.

[TheBlueLamp]

Love it. Maybe it's not a deep melodramatic epic but it sure is a lot of fun. I think this is a great driving song. My favourite lyrics are

Well I understand your position...
I withdraw my decision
Well I've got no more information for you!

[Johnny Stew]

I like it quite a bit. It's one of those songs that isn't necessarily Earth-shattering, or anything that's going to impact someone's life in any meaningful way.
And yet... it's not just ear candy. There is something a little deeper going on there... something to be pondered and interpreted.

[AliceLover]

I like it quite a bit. It's one of those songs that isn't necessarily Earth-shattering, or anything that's going to impact someone's life in any meaningful way.
And yet... it's not just ear candy. There is something a little deeper going on there... something to be pondered and interpreted.


Its about when her garage lit on fire and she had to choose things to run out with. I don't think theres much else behind it, btu i could be wrong. Love it tho 5/5!

[amber]

Its about when her garage lit on fire and she had to choose things to run out with. I don't think theres much else behind it, btu i could be wrong. Love it tho 5/5!
How does everyone know that? I've never heard that. Is it really? I mean, I don't think it's really about that, rather the incident seems to have provided the words which actually have deeper meaning.
But anyway, when did Stevie say that?

[Johnny Stew]

Its about when her garage lit on fire and she had to choose things to run out with. I don't think theres much else behind it, btu i could be wrong.That was the initial inspiration for it, yes... but as with pretty much every other Stevie Nicks song in existence, I doubt that's really all it's about.

[AliceLover]

How does everyone know that? I've never heard that. Is it really? I mean, I don't think it's really about that, rather the incident seems to have provided the words which actually have deeper meaning.
But anyway, when did Stevie say that?
One of the OSOTM interviews she did. She explains the meanings behind all the songs basically. She says Alice is her favorite....yeah stevie never saw that again!

[AliceLover]

That was the initial inspiration for it, yes... but as with pretty much every other Stevie Nicks song in existence, I doubt that's really all it's about.

True true!

[amber]

One of the OSOTM interviews she did. She explains the meanings behind all the songs basically. She says Alice is her favorite....yeah stevie never saw that again!

:laugh:

I guess I haven't seen that interview. Thanks Jimmy! :wavey:

[AliceLover]

:laugh:

I guess I haven't seen that interview. Thanks Jimmy! :wavey:

All of it used to be on SaraRhiannon.com before it dissappeared. It explained every song from the album. I wish I still had it I forget what some are about.

BTW Our Birthday is coming up!!!!!!!!! June 30th wooooooooo!

[SpyNote]

FB is one of the stronger tracks on the Mirror album. Not so in favor of the keyboard-drenched arrangement, but the lyrics are good and tight, and there's a nice bridge.

Favorite line: "So still, there is a fire that no one sees/She doesn't even see it either or so everyone thinks."

[BlackWidow]

I do not like this song and I still scratch my head wondering how songs like this made it on an album. That's just me.

I do like these two lines, though. Not the lyrics, but how they sound.

So cry for me take a little time and then stop
It's just something that you cannot see so stop
Do not like anything about this song.
The first time I heard her sing "BUuurrrnnniiiinnngg"..(if you can call it singing)
I think I through the Album across the room..that vocal change pushed me over the edge!:sorry:

[Nixxxed]

All of it used to be on SaraRhiannon.com before it dissappeared. It explained every song from the album. I wish I still had it I forget what some are about.

BTW Our Birthday is coming up!!!!!!!!! June 30th wooooooooo!
You can still see the SNU Google cache, sometimes:

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:RAGk-tsuFqAJ:www.sararhiannon.com/tosotmalbum.htm+Stevie+Nicks+%22Fire+Burning%22+interview&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=13

Here's what it says in case you can't get it to come up:

FIRE BURNING
"The original inspiration for this was when I lived in a house on Doheny and my garage caught fire because somebody else's house caught fire down the street and a cinder hit my garage. And I woke up because I heard all this noise, and I looked out my front window and there's like, fifty firemen running up my driveway and I thought, well, 'what is this for?' And I ran around to all the windows and finally I got to the back of the house, and I looked out, and the entire garage was like, fifty feet of burning flames. And I ran around to the bathroom about fifteen different times, saying 'what can I take? What should I take?' So what I took was the dog, the blanket, all my writings and tapes, my jewelry... and I thought, you know, the stairs may be on fire. But she'll get down, she said. I'll get out, I'm not burning up in this house. So that's where the whole beginning and idea of this song came from, was 'what can I take and still survive the fire' or how much time can I spend to decide and not be burned up on the second story?
It's frightening, to see flames that high and know that at any point those flames could hit your house and I didn't know whether the bottom story was on fire already or not. But it was very hard for me because I thought, 'what do I take out of this room? I did, I ran around in circles three times, four times, five times, and I said, 'I'll take the dog, cashmere blanket, all my tapes, and my writing.' Everything else can be... doesn't matter, material things, at this point, don't matter."
~Stevie Nicks, The Other Side of the Mirror Listening Party, Westwood One, 1989

"I don't like fire in the real dictionary reading of the meaning of the word fire. I'm afraid to death of fire, I will never die by fire. I've only been in one fire and I was only about six and I will never forget it-- that's not true, I've been in two. My garage burned and and it was a massive fire and I was not 2 or 4, I was 28 or 30, actually. In Fire Burning, that's what the song is about. It's about when I say 'she turns around on the second story, I'll get down, what can I take and still survive the fire.' What that meant was I didn't know what to take, I was running around the room going 'well, let's see, the house is burning, it must be because the back yard is completley on fire, so the house must be burning too, so what do I do? What in these arms can I carry? What if the stairs are on fire?' I didn't know because I was only in my bedroom, so what I did was I grabbed my dog, my cashmere blanket, my writing, my tapes, my semi-absolute precious jewelry which all fit in a tiny little thing. And I just said goodbye, I've loved you all and everything that is left here, I'm sorry, I can't carry you down, but I can't, but I'll get down, I'll get out if I have to scale this side of this wall. I'll get out, I will not die in this fire. So that's kind of where that song came from."
~Stevie Nicks, 1989

[Nixxxed]

I've only been in one fire and I was only about six and I will never forget it-- that's not true, I've been in two. My garage burned and and it was a massive fire and I was not 2 or 4, I was 28 or 30, actually.

I never noticed her age reference in this interview before. That means the fire happened in the 1976-1978 time period, the really intense Rumours years.

[TheWILDheart]

I think the song sits well as part of the album. It would be wierd to get to the end of Whole Lotta Trouble (love that song) and not hear Fire Burning after it. I don't care for it as a single or live (thank god it wasn't). I would have liked to see another song in it's place but OSOTM works as an album for me (where as Rock a Little didn't).

[UndoingTheLaces]

I always loved this song, but I thought it was much more about drugs. "Her eyes grew strangely bright". Ever see someone on drugs? That sums it up pretty well. "What could she take and still survive the fire" always seemed to me that the "fire" was drug addiction and her wanting to get off of drugs, but needing to take something to help with the withdrawl symptoms. "so still there is a fire that no one sees", is after she's been in rehab, and is supposed to be all clean and sober, but you never really get over an addiction. "she doesn't even see it either... or so everyone thinks". Everyone sees her as clean but deep down the fire still burns.

I posted this a while ago but since we're talking about the song, here's a remix I did just for kicks. It's called "Fire Burning (strangely bright mix)". Enojoy!

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=FB8561A940548E31

[wheart]

A very fun little song! A nice, much needed departure from the lethargy of the rest of this album. "She swings around on the second story...I'll get down she says..." I was so amazed to hear it was based on a true story!! Who knew:shrug:

[THINKABOUTIT]

:laugh: :laugh: Ok...this is one of my faves...the cheese stands alone!! :lol: