Fire (1978) 10/6/20

In May of 1977, Bruce Springsteen saw Elvis Presley in concert and decided to write a song for him. He recorded a demo and sent it to Elvis, but the King passed away before the song arrived.

Bruce decided to record “Fire” himself for his1978 album, “Darkness on the Edge,” but in the end, didn't include the track because it didn't quite fit the album's theme.

At about the same time, producer Richard Perry played Bruce's demo for the Pointer Sisters, who promptly recorded it themselves and turned it into a “Great Song of the '70s.”

Before the year was out, “Fire” was a Top 10 hit in 8 countries. In the US, it peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot 100, and in Canada, it topped the Adult Contemporary Chart, while reaching #3 on the Top 40.

Billboard has the song at #48 on their list of the “Top 100 Girl Group Songs of All Time!”

Thanks to Bruce Springsteen and a sensual lead vocal by Anita Pointer, “Fire” is a “Great Song of 1978!”

TRIVIA: Springsteen was reportedly annoyed by the song's success, because up to that point, songs he had written were repeatedly becoming hits for other artists. Before “Fire,” Manfred Mann's Earth Band had taken “Blinded by the Light” to #1 and Patti Smith went to #13 with “Because the Night.” Bruce decided to take back a song he had written for The Ramones and record it himself. “Hungry Heart” became his first Top 10 hit, peaking at #5 in 1980!